External affairs minister S Jaishankar will visit Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week to bolster bilateral relations.
Jaishankar will travel to Mauritius on April 9-10 to participate in the Indian Ocean Conference and deliver the keynote address, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday. Jaishankar will meet the leadership of Mauritius and review the entire spectrum of bilateral ties.
He is also expected to hold discussions with counterparts from other participating nations on the margins of the conference. “The visit underscores India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, Vision MAHASAGAR, and commitment to the Global South,” the ministry said.
In the second leg of the visit, Jaishankar will make an official visit to the UAE on April 11-12. Jaishankar will meet the UAE leadership to “review close cooperation and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries”, the ministry said.
People familiar with the matter said the visit will also be an opportunity to discuss the welfare of the large Indian community in the UAE amid the crisis in West Asia.
The UAE is home to four million Indians, one of the largest concentrations of the Indian diaspora in West Asia.