On Thursday, Indian PM Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart, Pravind Jugnauth, jointly inaugurated an airstrip and jetty on Agaléga Island. In addition to these facilities, six other projects, supported by Indian financing, were virtually inaugurated by both leaders.
Comments from India
PM Modi hailed Mauritius as a crucial partner in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and a special ally under vision SAGAR. “As members of Global South, we have common priorities and the last 10 years have seen unprecedented momentum in the relations between the two countries and new heights of mutual cooperation have been achieved,” the Indian PM said.
“India has always respected Mauritius’s needs and acted as the first responder,” he underlined, adding that the countries are natural partners in maritime security. “We are actively working to ensure security, prosperity and stability in the Indian Ocean region. We are cooperating in all areas like monitoring of Exclusive Economic Zone, joint patrolling, hydrography, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief,” Modi concluded.
Comments from Mauritius
For his part, Jugnauth said, “We are making history today on the island of Agaléga with the inauguration of a new airstrip, a new jetty and several other development projects.”
Mauritius will never relinquish its sovereignty over Agaléga
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) February 29, 2024
Islands. No agenda to turn into a military base. Condemn India bashing campaign says Mauritius PM Jugnauth pic.twitter.com/H7bXxTBsWY
He added that the event marked “a great moment for the remarkable and exemplary partnership,” between both countries.
Jugnauth also rubbished claims about the establishment of military bases on the islands, saying, “There has never been any agenda for Mauritius to relinquish its sovereignty over the Agaléga islands... Likewise, there has never been any agenda to transform our Agaléga into a military base.”
“I wish to forcefully deplore and condemn the India bashing campaign that some people in Mauritius have fomented,” the Mauritian PM asserted.
India-Mauritius Ties
In recent years, India and Mauritius have expanded their development cooperation, with the former leading several assistance projects in the country.
For instance, in 2016, India approved a $353 million grant to Mauritius as a Special Economic Package for five infrastructure projects, namely – the Metro Express Project, the Supreme Court building, an ENT hospital, supplying digital tablets to children in primary schools and the Social Housing Units Project.
The Metro Express Project and the ENT hospital were inaugurated in 2019. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court building was launched virtually in July 2020. With the start of the housing project on Thursday, all the above-mentioned projects have been implemented.
Moreover, in February 2021, India and Mauritius also signed a free trade agreement that aimed to make the latter a hub for Indian investments. It was the first such partnership agreement signed between India and an African country.
Additionally, to develop its security partnership with Mauritius, India provided the island nation with a $100 million line of credit to help them purchase defence hardware. In January 2022, India also signed a contract with the Government of Mauritius for the export of India-made Advanced Light Helicopters, which will be deployed in the country’s police force.