PM to embark on 2-day state visit to Mauritius on March 11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday embark on a two-day state visit to Mauritius, where he will be chief guest at the archipelago's National Day celebrations on March 12.
Ahead of his visit, the PM in a departure statement on Monday said, "At the invitation of my friend, Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, I am embarking on a two-day state visit to Mauritius to participate in the celebrations of the 57th National Day of Mauritius. Mauritius is a close maritime neighbour, a key partner in the Indian Ocean, and a gateway to the African Continent. We are connected by history, geography and culture."
This will be PM Modi's second state visit to Mauritius. He visited Mauritius in March 2015 also to attend the Mauritius National Day as a chief guest.
The PM said during his visit, he looked forward to the opportunity to engage with the Mauritius leadership to elevate partnership in all its facets and strengthen our enduring friendship for the progress and prosperity of our peoples, as well as for security and development in the Indian Ocean Region, as part of our Vision SAGAR.
"Deep mutual trust, a shared belief in the values of democracy, and celebration of our diversity are our strengths. The close and historical people-to-people connect is a source of shared pride. We have made significant strides in the past 10 years with people-centric initiatives. I am confident that this visit will build on the foundations of the past and open a new and bright chapter in the India and Mauritius relationship," the PM said.
In homage to Mahatma Gandhi, the National Day of Mauritius is celebrated on March 12, the day Gandhi's Dandi Salt March commenced.
Mauritius is also a key partner of India in its India's Neighbourhood First, Vision SAGAR and commitment to the Global South policies.
On the trade side, India is among the largest trading partners of Mauritius with bilateral trade in FY 2023-24 standing at USD 851.13 million, while Mauritius is the second largest source of FDI into India for FY 2023-24 after Singapore.
In February 2021, India's UPI and Rupay cards were launched in Mauritius and the India Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement was signed in April 2021.
It was the first trade agreement signed by India with an African country.
The depth of India-Mauritius ties is clear from the presence of 11 Indian PSUs in Mauritius for which India has been the first responder in times of crisis, the most recent one being Covid 19.
India earlier in 2017 extended a USD 500 million Line of Credit to Mauritius to finance 10 projects and in 2016 it provided a grant of USD 353 million to Mauritius as a special economic package for five projects.
