During the meeting, Jaishankar and PM Jugnauth discussed “various aspects of bilateral ties, including the Development Partnership, Defence and Maritime Corporation, economic and trade ties, and people-to-people linkages,” he said.”I reiterated India’s consistent and continued support to Mauritius in its quest for progress and prosperity,” he said.The External Affairs Minister concluded by affirming that India remains committed to strengthening the critical partnership with Mauritius that is “so important for the future of the Indian Ocean region”.The event saw the inauguration of 12 High Impact Community Development Projects that are funded by India, the exchange of MoUs on education, culture, the digitisation of Immigration Archives and the exchange of Project Plan Documents between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC).India also paid the royalty payment cheque of MUR 1.3 million towards revenues earned from the sale of Mauritian nautical charts produced by the India-Mauritius joint hydrographic service, which is nearly two decades old.Jaishankar and Jugnauth also handed over the first Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards to “two very fine specimens of seventh-generation Indian origin Mauritians,” described by the EAM as “This special carve-out for Mauritius further demonstrates our special and enduring ties.”Earlier, Jaishankar conveyed the “personal greetings and warm regards” of Prime Minister Modi to Jugnauth and also told him that the people of India appreciated very deeply his presence as the Modi government was sworn in for the third time, last month.Jaishankar also complimented the Mauritian Prime Minister for his leadership in seeing Mauritius, through the COVID challenge, and to the people of that country “for the tremendous resilience shown in overcoming, what is really a once-in-a-century event.”The visit underscores the importance of the India-Mauritius relationship and is a reflection of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, Vision SAGAR, and commitment to the Global South.According to the Indian High Commission at Mauritius website, India has close, long-standing relations with Mauritius, an island nation in the Western Indian Ocean, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons.A key reason for the specialities is the fact that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island’s population of 1.2 million, it added.
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