High Commission of India

Mauritius

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PRESS RELEASE

Visit of Hon’ble Minister of State Shri V. Muraleedharan to Mauritius

(1-2 November 2023)

       Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs of India, Shri V. Muraleedharan, arrived in Mauritius on 1 st November 2023 for an official visit to represent India at the commemoration of the 189 th Anniversary of the arrival of Indentured Labourers in Mauritius as a ‘Special Guest’, at the invitation of the Hon’ble Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sharda also made a Port call at Port Louis, to commemorate the historic day when the first batch of Indian indentured labourers arrived in Mauritius in 1834. A joint commemorative postage stamp, depicting the National Birds of the two countries - the Indian Peacock and the Mauritius Kestrel – was also released on the occasion to mark the 75 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius. On his first official visit to Mauritius, the Hon’ble Minister met key leaders and officials in the Government of Mauritius and reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations. 

2.    On 1 st November 2023, the Hon’ble Minister called on the President of the Republic of Mauritius, H.E. Mr. Prithvirajsing Roopun and took a walk through the Ayurveda Garden in State House. He also called on the Hon’ble Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius and held fruitful discussions covering various aspects of the multifaceted cooperation between India and Mauritius. Both sides noted with satisfaction the commencement of 96 Community Development Projects funded by Indian grant assistance.  They welcomed the successful G20 Summit held under India’s Presidency and Mauritius’ active participation as a ‘Special Invitee’ to the G20 as a milestone in further strengthening the bilateral partnership.  They also welcomed the operationalization of the bilateral agreement for the Employment of Workers from India with effect from 01 st October 2023. Ongoing cooperation in diverse areas such as the Ayush Centre of Excellence (ACE), Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) and the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) were also reviewed.

3. Hon’ble Minister Shri V. Muraleedharan and Hon’ble Maneesh Gobin, Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade,jointly inaugurated UTSAV: India Mauritius Shopping Carnival as part of the ongoing celebrations of the 75 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius. 142 exhibitors from Mauritius and India are participating in the five-day Trade Fair that is open to the public from 01-05 November 2023, offering Mauritians an array of choices for Diwali shopping, while also deepening bilateral business and people-to-people ties.

4. During his visit, Minister Muraleedharan and Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth also inaugurated two India-assisted development projects: the 8 MW Solar Power Plant at Henrietta which showcases our shared commitment to environment- friendly, green solutions, and a Sports Complex at L’esperance that is the first of 96 new Community Development Projects being implemented across the length and breadth of Mauritius with Indian Grant assistance.

5. Hon’ble Minister Shri V. Muraleedharan, and the Hon’ble Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation Mr. Darsanand Balgobin, also witnessed the signing of a MoU between India and Mauritius for the joint development and launch of a satellite for Mauritius for Earth Observation-based applications in Agriculture, Forestry, Weather Forecast and Ocean Observation. They welcomed the inclusion of a training and capacity building component for Mauritian engineers to develop and operate satellites on their own in the future.

6. The Hon’ble Minister also attended a luncheon meeting on 01st November 2023, hosted by Hon’ble Minister Maneesh Gobin, where they reviewed the bilateral relationship. A luncheon meeting was also hosted in his honour by Hon’ble Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage Mr. Avinash Teeluck, on 02nd November 2023.

7. The visit provided the Hon’ble Minister an opportunity to celebrate Kerala Day 2023 on 1st November with members of the Indian community in Mauritius at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture and interact with representatives of Mauritian socio- cultural organisations and the Association of Ayurvedic Physicians. The Hon’ble Minister also visited the World Hindi Secretariat and met the team.

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03 November 2023

Ebene