EAM Jaishankar’s pushes neighbourhood policy in his visit to Mauritius

After concluding his two-day visit to the Maldives, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Mauritius on Sunday on the last leg of his two-country visit during which he will hold converses with the top administration of India’s strategically key sea neighbour in the Indian Ocean region.

Jaishankar, who will be in the country for two days, will meet President Prithvirajsing Roopun and Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth — both of Indian origin. “Namaste-Bonsoir Mauritius. Thank FM Alan Ganoo for his warm welcome. Look forward to a fruitful visit,” Jaishankar tweeted not long after his appearance here. He will likewise meet the minister of foreign affairs, regional integration and international trade and minister for land transport and light rail.

During his visit, Jaishankar will audit all parts of bilateral relations, ongoing implementation of different foundation projects being done by India in Mauritius, and have conversations on bilateral, regional and global issues of shared interest including India’s help to Mauritius. The last visit of the External Affairs Minister was in August 2018 when Sushma Swaraj visited Mauritius for the World Hindi Conference.

Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth last visited India on a private visit along with his spouse in December 2019, the visit being representative since it came soon after his triumph in the General Election. Both Maldives and Mauritius are India’s key sea neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and possess a special place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “SAGAR” (Security and Growth for All in the Region).

India and Mauritius 22nd February signed a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) and a $100 million defence line of credit. India will likewise gift a Dornier aeroplane and an Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv to Mauritius for two years to help shore up its maritime patrolling and monitoring capabilities. “These activities indeed underline that the security of Mauritius is the security of India; in the flourishing of Mauritius is our thriving,” said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Port Louis on the second leg of his two-country visit.

Jaishankar brought up that the CECPA with Mauritius, the first such concurrence with an African nation, would help in the recovery of both post-Covid economies and empower Indian investors to utilize Mauritius as a platform for the business venture into mainland Africa.

The extraordinary $100 million lines of credit follow a similar $50 million MoU struck with the Maldives on Sunday during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s first leg of the visit.

In Mauritius, Jaishankar additionally gave more than one lakh dosages of Covid antibody, other than approaching President of Mauritius Prithvirajsing Roopun, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his father Anerood Jugnauth.

“India’s assistance was always over the horizon — responsive, steadfast and solid,” said Jaishankar while reviewing that India had provided 23 tons of essential medicines, 10 lakh HCQ tablets, a special consignment of Ayurvedic medications and a 14-part clinical help group. The stock of one lakh dosages of the immunization to Mauritius following India revealed its inoculation program “was a reasonable and telling show of the exceptional relation between our nations”.