New Delhi: India and Mauritius are set to sign a number of agreements, including cooperation on maritime security, tackling cross-border financial crimes and technical capacity building, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the island country.
“During the current visit, we expect to sign a technical agreement on sharing white shipping information between the Indian Navy and Mauritius authorities. It would further enhance maritime security of Mauritius, safety of its trading corridors and enhance regional cooperation in real-time sharing of data, which would enable authorities to cooperate in preventing illegal activities,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a special briefing Saturday.
“There is an allied MoUthat would be signed between the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, this is INCOIS, with the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Prime Minister’s office from the Mauritius side, which also establishes a comprehensive framework for ocean observation, research and information management and enhancing maritime zone management in Mauritius.”
PM Modi is set to travel to Mauritius on 11 March and will be the chief guest of the African country’s National Day on 12 March, which is set to see participation of an Indian defence contingent as well as one of its naval ships. It is the second time Modi is set to be the chief guest at Mauritius’ National Day celebrations since 2015.
The African nation located in the Indian Ocean, is a key developmental partner for India in the region and has received close to $1.1 billion in loans and grants in the last decade alone.
In 2016, India provided a grant of $353 million to Mauritius for five priority projects, including the Metro Express project, an ENT hospital, the Supreme Court building, digital tablets for school children and for social housing projects. Later, in 2017, India extended a $500 million line of credit to Port Louis for a number of development projects.
Mauritius has been the second largest foreign direct investor in India after Singapore in the 2023-2024 financial year. India is amongst the largest trading partners of Mauritius, which has roughly 70 percent of its population with origins from the South Asian nation.
The issue of the sovereignty of Chagos islands is expected to be discussed. Mauritius recently reached a deal with the UK, which would see the island-chain, which includes Diego Garcia—a US military base—returned to Port Louis.
In-exchange, Mauritius will lease Diego Garcia to the UK for 99 years, with a potential 40-year extension. However, the change in government in Port Louis as well as Washington has raised questions on the future of the deal. The Trump administration has reportedly agreed to the deal. India has supported Port Louis’ position of sovereignty over the islands.
The foreign secretary added that there is a proposed MoU between the Enforcement Directorate of India and the Financial Crimes Commission of Mauritius, which “aims to provide intelligence and technical assistance cooperation on anti-corruption and anti-money laundering activities.”
Modi is set to land in Port Louis during the early hours of 11 March, where he will receive a ceremonial reception before heading to the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden to pay his respects to Seewoosagur Ramgoolam’s memorial as well as the memorial of Anerood Jugnauth, both of whom are former leaders of the island nation.
Following that, the PM is set to call on President Dharam Gokhool, before holding talks with his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam, who came to power in November 2024. Modi is also set to interact with the Indian community in Mauritius apart from meeting other political leaders.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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