Official Ceremony

Renaming of the Cyber Tower 1 after

Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

16 January 2019

Hon. Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Pravind Jugnauth,

Hon. Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Ivan Collendavelloo,

Right Hon. Minister Mentor Sir Anerood Jugnauth,

Lady Sarojini Jugnauth,

Hon. Vice Prime Minister Mrs. Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo,

Secretary Foreign Affairs Ambassador Mrs. Usha Dwarka Canabady,

Mayor Mrs. Soolekha Raddhoa,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to begin by thanking the Chairperson of Landscope Mauritius Mr. Gerard Sanspeur for his kind invitation to attend this important event.

We are deeply touched by the very gracious and thoughtful gesture of the Government of Mauritius to name the Cyber Tower after Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which was announced during the World Hindi Conference in last August.

Today, is an important day when this is being fomalised through this ceremony. It reflects the special regard and love for a very dear leader.

All of you know and remember Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was a tall leader. His renown and popularity extended far beyond India. He was a great statesman, a great orator and a poet. His love for and command over Hindi language was well-known and widely respected. He had a long and distinguished record of public service and served as the Prime Minister of India. Above all, he was a great human being.

On a personal level, I had the opportunity of serving as a junior officer as part of the team during a couple of Prime Minister Vajpayee’s visits abroad. I greatly cherish those occasions and remember his simplicity, wisdom, humour and charisma.

Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a very close friend of Mauritius. During his tenure the areas of cooperation between our two countries expanded significantly.

As Prime Minister almost two decades ago, he spoke about the need for our economic cooperation to be commensurate with our profound political equation. He had spoken about joint exploration of opportunities in information technology sector at that time.

We are happy to see that today we are building a series of economic partnerships and collaborations in a range of areas including infrastructure, trade and investment upon the backdrop of Diaspora bonds between our peoples.

It is encouraging to note that our partnership today is rapidly growing into newer areas. Ocean economy and collaboration in the context of Africa are among areas where there is potential for further cooperation.

At the same time our very unique and deep rooted bonds are for all to see. We are greatly honoured that Hon. Prime Minister Mr. Pravind Jugnauth has accepted to be the Chief Guest at the upcoming Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations in Varanasi, which will also coincide with the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. We are looking forward to welcoming the Hon. Prime Minister along with senior Ministers and a large Mauritian delegation in India on the occasion. This will be yet another milestone in our close people-to-people ties.

Distinguished guests,

This is my second week in this beautiful country and every day I am coming to understand the intensity of our engagement. It is a great honour to have the opportunity to work for this wonderful relationship. I look forward to contributing effectively, along with my team and our Mauritian friends, to further strengthening this unique partnership.

May I again, with all humility, thank the Government of Mauritius for this gesture of our abiding ties and respect for a remarkable leader and friend of Mauritius in renaming this building, a symbol of our friendship, after Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

May our partnership continue to flourish.

Thank you.

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