Port Louis/New Delhi, Mar 12 (UNI) India and Mauritius agreed to take further steps in India-assisted developmental assistance projects, including working towards timely delivery of 100-electric buses and Implement Phase II of High Impact Community Development Projects, the joint statement said today.

Following the visit of PM Modi and his talks with Mauritian PM Navin Ramgoolam, the two sides agreed to initiate implementation of the replacement of 100 km water pipeline in Mauritius under the first INR denominated Line of Credit agreement concluded between the two sides;

They agreed to finalise discussions on the new Parliament building on a site to be identified by Government of Mauritius, and conclude framework understanding to implement this project with India’s grant assistance; and

Finalise discussion on the redevelopment of the Ganga Talao Spiritual Sanctuary and conclude framework understanding to implement this project with India’s grant assistance;

Explore new areas of development cooperation, as per the needs and priorities of the Government of Mauritius.

In the sphere of Human Resource Development and Capacity Building, the two sides committed to:

Continue ongoing capacity building initiatives, both under Government of India’s ITEC framework and customized training programmes;

They agreed to implement the customized training programme for 500 civil servants of Mauritius through the National Centre for Good Governance in India over a period of five years;

Create institutional linkages between the Civil Service College, Forensic Science Laboratory, and National Archives and Library with relevant premier institutes in India for continued cooperation and sharing of best practices;

Support continued deputation of Consultants and/or technical experts to assist the Government of Mauritius for its functional requirements;

They agreed to Enhance and strengthen the existing training collaboration for Mauritian diplomats by institutionalizing a capacity building programme at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); and

Explore further training programmes for Mauritian officials in civil, police, parliamentary, customs, legal, health, and other domains, as per needs and requirements of Mauritius.

In the field of Space and Climate Change, they agreed that the ongoing space cooperation has immensely benefited both the countries and reflected the importance attached by India to its special ties with Mauritius.

The Prime Minister of Mauritius conveyed his appreciation to the Government of India for its support towards the joint development of a satellite for Mauritius and acknowledged that this cooperation is a testament to India’s unwavering support to Mauritius on its developmental journey.

In order to further deepen cooperation in the space domain, they agreed to:

Work closely towards successful development and launch of the India-Mauritius satellite, including requisite training for Mauritian scientists and experts at the Indian Space Research Organisation;

Support implementation of weather and climate forecasting system at different temporal scales, Wave Rider Buoys and Multi-hazard Emergency System in Mauritius to help it build a resilient disaster preparedness and response system;

Renew the ongoing cooperation between ISRO and Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) on ISRO Telemetry and Tracking Centre in Mauritius; and

Explore new avenues of cooperation in the space and climate change domain to cater to the needs of Mauritius, and associated capacity building support; and

Pursue the proposal of the Government of India for a development partnership project aimed at utilising an Earth Observation Application and an interactive computing framework to enable Mauritius to monitor extreme weather events and study climate impact effectively, which will be carried out by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), under the umbrella of the QUAD, the joint statement said.

In the field of economic and trade cooperation, the two sides acknowledged that the conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), India’s first ever trade agreement with a country in African region, marked a major milestone in the economic and trade relations of both countries. The Prime Minister of Mauritius underlined the need for Indian companies and businesses to see Mauritius as a gateway to India’s engagements with Africa and benefit from trade and business opportunities offered by Africa.

Reiterating their firm commitment to diversify the trade and commercial linkages between the two countries, the leaders agreed to:

Hold the second session of High Power Joint Trade Committee under CECPA to further strengthen trade, economic cooperation and partnership between the two countries;

Facilitate trade settlements in local currencies, viz.Indian Rupee and Mauritian Rupee, which will work towards derisking bilateral trade, pursuant to signing of an MoU on Local currency Settlement by the partner Central Banks;

Ratify the Protocol on Amendment of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement at the earliest to harmonise with International Standards on treaty abuse, after ongoing discussions are concluded; and

Promote investments in sunrise sectors such as ocean economy, pharmaceuticals, IT and Fintech, among others, to support Mauritius in diversification of its economy for long term and sustainable economic growth.

In the field of Digital cooperation, the Mauritius PM requested India’s support to the Government of Mauritius on its digitisation drive. In line with this objective, the leaders agreed to:

Support implementation of e-judiciary system, and digitisation of archives and records at Mahatma Gandhi Institute;

Strengthen cooperation in the field of ICT including cyber security, Digital Public Infrastructure, and capacity building for the same; and

Explore implementation of successful digital tools developed by India, such as PM Gati Shakti digital platform, as per Mauritius’s requirements.

In the field of defence and maritime security cooperation, the Mauritius PM thanked India for its continued assistance towards refit of Coast Guard Ships Victory, Valiant and Barracuda, on grant basis.

The Prime Minister of India reiterated India’s continued support and assistance to Mauritius in augmenting its defence and security needs.

Reiterating their collective desire to counter growing threats and challenges in the region, the leaders resolved to:

Continue cooperation on provisioning of defence and maritime assets and equipment, as per needs and priorities of Mauritius;

Enhance maritime cooperation through increased deployment of ships and aircraft for joint maritime surveillance and hydrography surveys;

Deepen cooperation towards securing EEZ of Mauritius, including through enhanced utilisation of newly built runway and jetty at Agalega;

Assist setting up of National Maritime Information Sharing Centre to enhance maritime domain awareness;

Cooperate by providing expertise in the fields of Marine Operations and Marine Engineering; Port Safety Environment, Port Emergency and Port security to Mauritius Port Authority; and

Conduct customized training programme and capacity building initiatives to meet growing needs of Mauritius Police Force.

The two leaders welcomed the ongoing discussions between Mauritius and the United Kingdom on Chagos islands. The Prime Minister of India reiterated India’s firm support to Mauritius on the Chagos issue.

UNI RN