In Mauritius, Modi calls for ‘free, open, safe’ Indian Ocean

We fully respect the sovereignty of Mauritius with regard to Chagos, he says

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said a “free, open, secure, and safe” Indian Ocean was a common priority for both India and Mauritius.

Mr. Modi, who is on a two-day state visit to the island nation, said this while delivering a speech alongside Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam.

He conveyed India’s unambiguous support for the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago.

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“In the next five years, five hundred civil servants of Mauritius will be trained in India. We have reached an agreement for settlement of mutual trade in local currency. The Prime Minister and I agree that defence cooperation and maritime security are key pillars of our strategic partnership. Free, open, secure, and safe Indian Ocean is our common priority...In this regard, we will extend every possible assistance to meet the needs of the Coast Guard,” Mr. Modi said after the conclusion of bilateral talks.

“We fully respect the sovereignty of Mauritius with regard to Chagos,” he said.

Mr. Modi assured that India would extend all possible help in the establishment of the Police Academy and the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre in Mauritius. He said that India would advance the position of Mauritius over the Chagos dispute through the Colombo Security Conclave, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, and the Indian Ocean Conference.

“We are fully committed to ensure protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Mauritius,” he said.

The Exclusive Economic Zone of Mauritius gained prominence during the U.K.-Mauritius negotiations over the Chagos archipelago.

The two countries had reached an agreement on October 3, 2024, under which the U.K. would give up sovereignty over Chagos but maintain a lease over the joint U.K.-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island, for 99 years. The deal was signed under previous Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, but the current Prime Minister has been critical of it.

Prior to the commencement of Mr. Modi’s visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had reiterated India’s support for Mauritius’s claim over the Chagos archipelago.

Affirming India-Mauritius cultural ties, Mr. Modi said travellers from Mauritius would receive assistance for the Char Dham Yatra (pilgrimage to four holy spots in India) and the Ramayana Trail. He announced that new development projects worth Mauritian rupee 500 million would be launched under bilateral partnership.

The two sides also sealed eight memoranda of understanding, including one that will allow settlement of trade issues through local currencies.

Mr. Modi was earlier conferred the highest honour of the country, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean. 

Following the meeting, Mr. Misri said the objective of the agreement on national currencies was to “promote the use of local currencies for current account as well as capital account transactions, encourage direct exchange rate quotations, encourage the setting up of an Indian rupee clearing centre in Mauritius, and extend an Indian rupee clearing centre to COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) countries. The idea is to provide avenues for enhancing trade, tourism, other kinds of business activities between the two countries”.

Mr. Misri said the Reserve Bank of India and the Bank of Mauritius would have to implement the agreement and “put in place the last mile systems and procedures to actually start benefiting from the agreement”.

The two teams also signed seven other agreements, including one between the Enforcement Directorate and the Financial Crimes Commission of the Republic of Mauritius.

Mr. Misri said the agreement on sharing of white shipping information would lead to “greater maritime domain awareness” of the authorities in Mauritius.

“The agreement that has been exchanged today on sharing of white shipping information between the Indian Navy and the government of Mauritius will essentially enhance Mauritius’ maritime security. Its safety of its trade will lead to real-time sharing of data, preventing illegal activities,” he said in response to questions from the media.

Published - March 12, 2025 04:36 pm IST