• India and Mauritius decided to elevate ties to ‘Enhanced Strategic Partnership’ and inked eight pacts to boost ties in several sectors.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled an ambitious vision for growth and security of the Global South and named it ‘MAHASAGAR’ (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).

• The unveiling of the MAHASAGAR vision came 10 years after the Prime Minister announced during his visit to Mauritius in 2015 New Delhi’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policy that formed the bedrock for India’s engagement with the Indian Ocean Region.

• The new approach will focus on the spirit of trade for development, capacity building for sustainable growth, and mutual security for a shared future.

• Under this, cooperation will be ensured through technology sharing, concessional loans and grants.

• On the second and final day of his two-day trip to Mauritius, PM Modi graced the national day celebrations of the island nation as the chief guest and announced a raft of development projects for the strategically-located country.

• A contingent of Indian armed forces also participated in the national day celebrations along with a warship of the Indian Navy and the Akash Ganga skydiving team of the Indian Air Force. 

Highlights of the meeting of leaders:

• During the bilateral meeting, PM Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam had comprehensive and productive discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations between both countries.

• Ramgoolam underscored India’s role as a time-tested and trusted partner of Mauritius in its socio-economic development since the time of its independence. 

• Acknowledging that the conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), India’s first ever trade agreement with a country in African region, marked a major milestone in the economic and trade relations of both countries, both leaders underscored the need for exploiting the full potential of bilateral trade for the shared objective of economic growth and prosperity of Mauritius and India.

• PM  Modi said a free, open, secure, and safe Indian Ocean is the common priority of India and Mauritius and that he and Ramgoolam agreed that defence cooperation and maritime security are an important part of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

• The two sides also unveiled a ‘Joint Vision for an Enhanced Strategic Partnership’ that outlined the futuristic approach in expanding bilateral cooperation in a range of areas including in defence and maritime security, trade, health and education, and space and climate change.

• The two sides will enhance maritime cooperation through increasing deployment of ships and aircraft for joint maritime surveillance and hydrographic surveys.

• The two leaders also resolved to deepen cooperation towards securing  Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius, including through enhanced utilisation of newly built runway and jetty at Agalega.

List of outcomes:

The agreements inked after Modi-Ramgoolam talks will provide for promoting use of national currencies for cross-border transactions, sharing of maritime data, joint work in combating money laundering and enhancing cooperation in the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) sector.

1) Agreement between Reserve Bank of India and the Bank of Mauritius for establishment of a framework to promote the use of local currencies (INR or MUR) for cross-border transactions.

2) Credit facility agreement between government of Mauritius (as borrower) and State Bank of India (as lending bank).

3) MoU between the Ministry of Industry, SME and Cooperatives (SME division) of Mauritius and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of India on cooperation in the field of micro, small and medium enterprises.

4) MoU between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, Ministry Of External Affairs, India And Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration & International Trade, Mauritius.

5) MoU between Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms (MPSAR), Mauritius and National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, India.

6) Technical Agreement on sharing of White Shipping Information between Indian Navy and government of Mauritius.

7) MoU between Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences,  and Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), India Department of Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration (CSMZAE), Mauritius.

8) MoU between Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and Financial Crimes Commission of Mauritius (FCC).

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)