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Foreign secretary to visit Mauritius after formation of new government
The visit reflects the priority that India attaches to its relations with Mauritius under its SAGAR vision, “Africa Forward” policy and commitment to the Global South
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Foreign secretary Vikram Misri will visit Mauritius during December 20-22 to take forward bilateral ties following the formation of a new government in the African country led by Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam last month.
The visit reflects the priority that India attaches to its relations with Mauritius under its SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision, “Africa Forward” policy and commitment to the Global South, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.
The visit also marks the first high-level engagement between the two sides after the formation of the new government in Mauritius led by Ramgoolam in November.
The ministry said India and Mauritius share age-old ties rooted in shared history and encompassing cooperation across several sectors. “The visit will be an opportunity to further advance our bilateral ties with Mauritius,” it said.
The visit also comes at a time when Ramgoolam has said that he has submitted counterproposals to the UK regarding a historic deal for handing over control of the strategic Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
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In October, Britain said it would cede sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius on the condition that the UK and the US would maintain a strategic military base on the atoll of Diego Garcia. Under the proposed deal, Diego Garcia, the largest of a chain of some 60 islands, would remain under British control for at least 99 years.
However, Ramgoolam said on Tuesday he was reopening negotiations with the UK because the deal in its current form “would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect from such an agreement”. He told Parliament that his government “is still willing to conclude an agreement with the UK” and had submitted counterproposals.
The Diego Garcia base, home to about 2,500 US military personnel, is seen as crucial for operations in West and South Asia and East Africa.
India had welcomed Britain’s decision in October to cede sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius in order to resolve the long-standing territorial dispute. India has consistently supported Mauritius’s claim of sovereignty over Chagos Islands in line with its “principled stand on decolonisation and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations”.
The political agreement on the Chagos Islands is subject to a treaty and supporting legal instruments being finalised.
