India and Mauritius reviewed bilateral ties and discussed ways to expand co-operation in areas like ‘blue economy’ and collaboration in Africa during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth on the sidelines of this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the Indian diaspora conclave, in Varanasi recently.
“The two Prime Ministers reviewed the entire gamut of the long-standing and time-tested strategic relationship between both countries, based on deep emotional bonds of kinship and culture,” India’s External Affairs Ministry said.
The talks focused on initiatives to further strengthen ties, including finalisation of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement (CEPCA), it said. India is Mauritius’s largest trading partner and has been the largest exporter of goods and services to the island nation since 2007.
“The various ongoing bilateral development cooperation projects were discussed and new proposals for critical partnership projects in health, disaster management and energy were agreed upon,” the report said. Jugnauth arrived in New Delhi on January 20 on a nine-day visit to India and met Minister for Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Varanasi. On January 24, the Mauritian Prime Minister visited Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela and then will leave for Mumbai to inaugurate a wholly owned subsidiary of the State Bank of Mauritius.
