Strengthening the bilateral ties between India and Mauritius

First, I would like to take this opportunity to convey to the readers of  Business Magazinemy very best wishes on the occasion of the National Day of Mauritius. Our two countries share a common history of struggle against colonialism and oppression, and this is an occasion to remember and honour the architects of our freedom.

India and Mauritius are bound together by much more than a common history and culture – the shared values of democracy, pluralism, rule of law, and inclusive socioeconomic development make us natural partners in our journey and ensure peace and prosperity for our peoples. As developing nations, our people share similar aspirations of growth and economic development. Our partnership today extends to every imaginable aspect of governance – be it political, economic, social, cultural and educational. This has been made possible through sustained political engagement at the highest level, inter-governmental and institutional cooperation, and robust people-to-people contacts to create a modern, comprehensive bilateral partnership. Our understanding also extends to mutual support to each other in matters of critical importance to the 21^st century world. These include issues such as the reform of the UN Security Council, our efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, our endeavours to eliminate the scourge of terrorism, our joint patrolling of the oceans between our two lands in combating piracy and in many other areas.

The past year has been a particularly eventful and productive year in terms of our bilateral relationship. The warmth of the people-to-people ties were reflected in the sustained high-level political interaction between the leaders of the two countries in 2015. External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj’s visit in November 2014 was followed by the landmark visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the occasion of National Day in March 2015. Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth visited India as head of the Mauritian de-legation to the IAFS-III in October 2015, and President Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim paid an official visit to India in December 2015. We have also had a large number of Ministerial exchanges and visits to further deepen our collaboration in specific fields, such as art and culture, commerce and industry, medium and small scale enterprises, rural development, etc.

The USD 500 million line of credit announced by Prime Minister Modi during his visit is available for use in any priority infrastructure projects as identified by the government of Mauritius. We look forward to cooperating in areas in which India has considerable proven expertise, such as information and communication technologies, smart cities, public infrastructure and utilities, ocean economy, etc.

During Prime Minister Modi’s visit, several important bilateral agreements were concluded in fields such as ocean economy, traditional systems of medicine, and cultural exchange. The visit was also marked by the induction of the OPV Barracuda, built by an Indian shipyard under a Governmental India Line of Credit. This addition to the Mauritian National Coast Guard has greatly augmented its ability to ensure the safety of Mauritian waters.

Outside India, perhaps the most enthusiastic and high level participation in the first International Day of Yoga (21 June 2015) was seen in Mauritius, where there is already a deep affinity for Ayush. We are hoping to celebrate IDY 2016 on an even grander scale this year. An International Conference on Ayushis also scheduled to be organised in Mauritius later this year.

The Festival of India in Mauritius 2015, organised in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, government of India, and the Mauritian Ministry of Arts and Culture provided a colourful and vibrant year-long showcase of the best of Indian art and culture in Mauritius, made all the more unique by the involvement of Mauritian artistes and performers. We are also very happy that Mauritius has been included in the list of countries whose nationals are entitled to gratis e-tourist visas to visit India.

There has been steady growth in our bilateral economic engagement and trade between our countries. India continues to be Mauritius’ largest trading partner: in FY 2014-2015 India exported goods worth US$ 1.9 billion to Mauritius and imported goods worth US$ 21.19 million from Mauritius. We are happy that the agreement between STC and the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd had proven to be a reliable and secure source of refined petroleum for Mauritius and are committed to ensuring that it remains so.

There is still untapped potential for diversifying our commercial exchanges into a wider range of goods and services, through more structured and focused trade dialogue, especially in sectors like agro-processing, renewable energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, drugs and pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, seafood, automobile parts, tourism and hospitality, IT and IT enabled services, Ayurveda, etc. As mentioned by Prime Minister Modi during his visit here last year, we look forward to resumption of talks towards a more comprehensive economic partnership. We are also encouraging Mauritian entrepreneurs and investors to take advantage of the myriad opportunities being offered in India through initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India.

Mauritius also has great potential to develop as a gateway to Africa and the wider Indian Ocean region. Cooperation and partnership with Africa are an integral component of India’s foreign policy. The India Africa Forum Summit mechanism provides the overarching institutional umbrella for a sustained multi-dimensional engagement between India and Africa in the 21^st century. At the third IAFS in Delhi in October 2015, a series of measures including a US $ 10 billion Line of Credit, the setting up of educational and scientific institutions and training programmes; new scholarships for African students; and targeted efforts in capacity building and human resource development were announced. Mauritius is a member of various preferential arrangements and linkages such as SADC and COMESA. Indian businesses will continue to look at Mauritius as a gateway to these sizeable markets and avenues. Areas of focus could include development of infrastructure, ICT, capacity building, agriculture and other related activities.

Coming back to our bilateral ties, I believe that the bedrock of our ties are the vibrant people-to-people links. It is therefore vital that the heritage of our special relationship is passed on to future generations, through greater youth exchanges in fields of culture, arts, literature and language, media. This will ensure that this extraordinary partnership will only grow from strength to strength in the years to come.