Political stability and a long-term strategic vision play a significant role in nurturing relations with countries. The two-day long PM Modi’s visit on March 11th to Mauritius after a decade as the Chief Guest for the National Day Celebration underscored a strategic continuity. In November 2024, Navin Ramgoolam stormed into power with a landslide. He became the Prime Minister of Mauritius for the third time. Among the first decisions he made was extending the invitation to PM Modi for the National Day Celebrations.
Ramgoolam’s alliance was voted to power 60-0 in its favour
as the previous government headed by Pravind Jugnauth’s negotiation with the UK
over the Chagos archipelago drew widespread criticism for the inadequacies in
the October 2024 agreement. Chagos, a remnant of colonial vestige, has been a
contentious issue between Mauritius and the UK. Initially a French Colony,
Mauritius along with Seychelles and Chagos, were ceded to Great Britain after
the Napoleonic wars in 1814.
In 1965, the UK constituted the British Indian Ocean
Territory (BIOT), comprising over 55 islands of Chagos archipelago governed by
Mauritius from the 19th century. In 1966, the UK signed an agreement
with the US allowing it to use BIOT for military purposes. Mauritius became
independent in 1968, but the UK retained control of the Chagos Archipelago.
Evicting the native Chagossians, the US built a naval base on the only
habitable islands of Diego Garcia, which became operational in 1986.
Chagos, located to the northeast of Mauritius, served as the
military outpost of the US and British during the Cold War era. This overseas
military base served as a hub of American war operations
Mauritius strongly fought back to wrest Chagos from the UK,
which paid $ 3 million as a ‘detachment amount’ for Chagos. Following the 2019
ICJ ruling and the UNGA resolution in the same year, the UK and Mauritius began
negotiations in 2022. An agreement was reached in October 2024 recognising
Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, including Diego Garcia. But
the UK would, for an initial 99-year period, exercise “the sovereign rights (over
Diego Garcia) and authorities of Mauritius are required to ensure the continued
operation of the base well into the next century”. The UK has created a
fund to resettle the displaced Chagossians. But negotiations regarding annual
payment, infrastructure development and financial support are yet to be
finalised.
Throughout the course of the negotiations, India extended
steadfast support to Mauritius. Acknowledging India’s role, the joint statement
released by Mauritius and UK mentioned, “In reaching today’s political
agreement, we have enjoyed full support and assistance of our close partners,
United States of America and Republic of India”. In line with India’s
principled stance on decolonisation, India firmly supported Mauritius.
Mauritius expressed its appreciation by extending a warm Bihari
welcome to PM Modi. As a special gesture, PM Ramgoolam, in a break from the
protocol, received the Indian Prime Minister at the airport, along with a large
contingent of 200 leaders. India and Mauritius have remarkably warm ties.
Deeply intertwined by cultural heritage and historical bonds, both countries
enjoy a special and unique relationship.
Nearly 70% of the Mauritius population is of Indian origin.
The British imported nearly five lakhs of Indians as indentured labourers to
take care of the plantations in Mauritius. Designated as ‘Girmityas’, the
majority of Indian diaspora in Mauritius are Hindus. Unlike the Indian Diaspora
elsewhere, Indian origin people in Mauritius proudly wear their cultural roots
on their sleeves. Mauritius has the world’s biggest cultural centre of India.
It is the headquarters of the World Hindi Secretariat. Nurtured by cultural
exchanges and people-to-people ties, India’s ties with Mauritius set a standard
for bilateral partnership in the region.
Interestingly, while India shared strong historical,
religious, and civilisational connections with countries in its immediate
neighbourhood, the warmth and trust exuded in India-Mauritius ties are
unparalleled. Along with political consensus, both countries deeply honour and
celebrate their common heritage. India unfailingly recognises Mauritius's
kinship, which is evident in the special invitation as a Guest Country during
the G20 presidency and PM Modi’s third term inauguration.
Through the provisioning of defence and maritime assets, the
regular deployment of ships and aircraft, conducting joint maritime
surveillance, hydrographic surveys, patrolling, bilateral exercises,
information sharing and training support, India has emerged as the security
provider of Mauritius for securing its large exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Defence
and maritime security cooperation is one of the strong pillars of the
India-Mauritius bilateral ties.
Reaffirming its role as the first responder, India rendered
swift emergency assistance with the deployment of transport aircraft and ships
in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido in 2024. During Covid-19, India donated 1
lakh vaccines and later facilitated 2 lakh extradoses on a commercial basis.
Navin Ramgoolam flew down to the AIIMS trauma centre for Covid treatment.
India’s role as a time-tested and trusted partner is
exemplified by its stellar role in the socio-economic development of Mauritius
since its independence. Over the years, countries strengthened the full
spectrum of cooperation through regular political exchanges, political exchanges,
development partnership, resource development and capacity building, space and climate
Change; health and education cooperation; economic and trade Cooperation;
digital cooperation; defence and maritime security cooperation; regional and
multilateral cooperation, cultural and people to people ties.
India, Mauritius's leading development partner, has
successfully implemented high-profile infrastructure projects such as the
India-Mauritius Metro Express Project, the New Supreme Court Building, the New
ENO Hospital and 956 Socula Housing Units. India is also working on several
people-centric ongoing projects such as the Renal Transplant Unit, Forensic
Science Laboratory, National Archives and Library and Civil Service College and
High Impact Community Development Projects.
As part of capacity building, India agreed to provide
customised training for 500 civil servants through the National Centre for Good
Governance. India has offered 100 electric buses along with charging
infrastructure and pledged to replace a 100 km water pipeline. For the first
time, India is extending Lines of Credit for Indian-assisted programs like the construction
of the Parliament building and redevelopment of the Ganga Talao Spiritual Sanctuary
through Indian rupee. Indeed, reinforcing and symbolising deep cultural
connections, PM Modi offered Gangajal from Mahakumbh at Prayagraj into Ganga
Talao.
During PM Modi’s visit, countries signed and renewed eight
agreements, including promoting the use of local currencies for cross-border
transactions, credit facility agreement, cooperation in Micro Small Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs), civil services training, administrative reforms, sharing
white shipping information, maritime exploration and curbing money laundering
and financial crimes. Leaders inaugurated an institute for public service and
innovation named after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and India handed over a
navigational chart on St. Brandom Island prepared by a hydrography survey by
the Indian Naval Ship
Rejuvenating space cooperation, India renewed cooperation on
the ISRO Telemetry and Tracking Centre in Mauritius and drew up plans to launch
an India-Mauritius satellite to help build a resilient disaster preparedness
and response system for Mauritius.
PM Modi unveiled India’s maritime vision SAGAR- Security And Growth Across
Regions, which closely aligned with the Mauritius Road Map for “Ocean Economy”
in 2015 on his first visit to Mauritius. The Ocean Economy, or the Blue Economy
of Mauritius, was launched in 2013 to double its economy.
In 2015, PM Modi formalised a plan to upgrade and develop the
island’s infrastructure, including the construction of a port near the existing
jetty to install transponder systems to identify the ships transiting the Sea
Lines of Communication. Lying along the Mozambique Channel to the West and
south-west of Mauritius, India began the construction of an air strip at
Agalega capable of housing P-8I aircraft. In February 2024, leaders of both
countries inaugurated the airstrip, bolstering India’s Naval presence in the
region.
To enhance utilisation of the newly built runway and jetty
at Agalega, countries plan to set up National Maritime Information Sharing
Centre to enhance maritime domain awareness. Mauritius, a member state of the
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), is the headquarters for the Indian Ocean
Commission, which links Indian Ocean African nations- Comoros, Madagascar,
Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles. Mauritius joined the Colombo Security
Conclave in 2022 as the fourth member. Additionally, both countries also work
together on international forums like the Global Biofuels Alliance,
International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient
Infrastructure.
Mauritius, which stands at the junction of India’s vision
SAGAR, Neighbourhood First approach and a commitment to the Global South is a
cornerstone for India’s maritime strategy. It has become a vital partner of
India’s West Indian Ocean Strategy. Cementing the maritime security
cooperation, PM Modi, on his recent visit, advanced MAHASAGAR (Mutual and
Holistic Advancement for Security And Growth Across Regions, which will serve
as a framework for Indian engagements with countries in the Global South.
India signed its ever trade agreement, the Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) with an African country,
Mauritius, in 2021. India is now exploring the possibilities of making
Mauritius the gateway for India’s engagements with Africa and ratified Protocol
on Amendment of double taxation avoidance to harmonise transactions as per international
standards.
Given its strategic geographical location in the West Indian
Ocean, China has been wooing Mauritius to buttress its Indian Ocean standing.
Indeed, China signed a trade agreement with Mauritius in 2019, ahead of India
and even set up the Mauritius Renminbi Clearing Centre in 2022. Now India is
setting up the India Rupee Clearing Centre to the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa (COMESA) Countries in Mauritius.
Mauritius has been deftly managing its ties with both Asian
giants. However, India’s firm support to Mauritius on Chagos has positioned New
Delhi as a trusted developmental partner. Reiterating India’s commitment, in a
press briefing with PM Navin Ramgoolam, PM Modi said, “In the context of
Chagos, we fully respect the sovereignty of Mauritius”. Mauritius thanked PM
Modi for his personal support and engagement with global leaders and conferred
the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean. PM
Modi is the first Indian to receive such honour.
Contingent of Indian Navy, a marching troop of INS Imphal,
an Indian helicopter including Akash Ganga skydiving team participated the
National Day Parade of Mauritius. Boosting engagement with the Indian Diaspora,
New Delhi pledged to cooperate on documenting the Girmitya legacy and announced
OCI cards to the seventh-generation Indian descendants.
The India-Mauritius partnership stands as a testament to
strategic continuity and the dogged pursuit of countries in nurturing the ties
rooted in kinship, values and shared cultural heritage. PM Modi’s momentous
visit has infused a new energy into this all-weather partnership.
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