‘Mauritius is the sentinel of the western Indian Ocean and maritime security cooperation between the two countries is critical to enhancing India’s maritime security’
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In our current era of geopolitical churn and uncertainty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’ visit to Mauritius (March 11-12, 2025), will be a celebration of the deep and long-standing ties between the two countries. Mr. Modi had last visited the island country in 2015, but on this occasion, he will be the guest of honour at its Independence Day celebrations on March 12. India-Mauritius relations have enjoyed political consensus, irrespective of the party in power in either country. Mauritius has a new government in power led by Navinchandra Ramgoolam of the Labour Party, whose coalition won a landslide victory in the elections held in November last year. While India-Mauritius relations will continue to be positive and stable, the visit provides an opportunity for Mr. Modi to establish a personal connect with Mr. Ramgoolam and reassure him of India’s continuing support to the island’s security and prosperity. It was during the latter half of my tenure as India’s High Commissioner to Mauritius (1992-97) that Mr. Ramgoolam was Prime Minister. India-Mauritius relations saw significant growth under his leadership and he was particularly sensitive to India’s security concerns. I have no doubt that he will prove to be a trusted partner for India and will open new vistas for our cooperation.
The strong link of history
Mr. Ramgoolam’s father, Sir Seewosagur Ramgoolam, had led the struggle for his country’s independence and was its first Prime Minister. Not many people know that Sir Seewosagur worked closely with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose during Bose’s stay in Britain between 1919-21. They were part of the Indian students’ movement in London working for Indian independence. Ramgoolam did the proof-reading for Bose’s famous work, The Indian Struggle, and received an autographed copy in appreciation.
There are strong people-to-people ties between the two countries. Nearly 70% of the population of Mauritius is of Indian origin, being the descendants of Indian indentured labour who were brought by the colonial rulers to work on sugar plantations. About 50% trace their ancestry to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and still speak the Bhojpuri dialect. There are smaller communities of Tamil-, Telugu-, and Marathi-speaking communities who have preserved their languages and traditional culture. Mauritius appears like a microcosm of India.
However, the country is home to other ethnic groups including African and mixed populations, which create its proud rainbow culture. Though only 2% of the population, the island’s French population is wealthy and influential, still owning its large sugar plantations, dominating its banking and financial sector and other commercial business.
The challenge for India’s diplomats lies in maintaining links with all segments of the Mauritian population, even while celebrating the kinship and cultural ties that exist with its India-origin population. India has done much to nourish the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Indian-origin population. In 1976, it inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi Institute as a premier institution for promoting Indian languages and culture. The Indian Cultural Centre in Mauritius is the largest of anywhere in the world and is one of the most active. The island hosts the World Hindi Secretariat that is supported by India.
A business gateway
India-Mauritius bilateral trade has expanded rapidly over the past few years, reaching $554 million in 2022-23. Mauritius is a part of the African Union and has preferential trade agreements with African countries. It is bilingual, with most of its citizens being fluent in English and French. With its well-developed finance and banking sector and reliable laws and regulations, Mauritius has become a preferred platform for doing business with Africa particularly Francophone Africa. Thanks to a favourable Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with India, Mauritius is also a major channel for foreign investment into India. Mauritius has emerged as a successful international financial centre, mainly on the back of the DTAA.
Crucial to India’s maritime security
Mauritius is the sentinel of the western Indian Ocean and maritime security cooperation between our two countries is critical to enhancing India’s maritime security. The Colombo Security Conclave brings together India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius and Bangladesh to work together to make this ocean space safe and secure. Mauritius is a small island but its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is 2.3 million square kilometres. India has set up a chain of coastal radar stations, redeveloped the Mauritian island of Agaléga to serve as a joint surveillance facility and given Mauritius access to the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram, India, to significantly advance domain awareness in its vast EEZ. India’s oceanographic survey ship, INS Sarvekshak, has just completed the survey of 25,000 sq.km of Mauritius’ ocean territory.
At a time when China’s footprint in the Indian Ocean is expanding, India-Mauritius maritime security cooperation has assumed special importance.
Beyond the ceremonial honours bestowed upon him, Mr. Modi will have much substance to discuss with his Mauritian counterpart. India-Mauritius relations must remain a strong and stable anchor in an uncertain and potentially risky world.
Shyam Saran is a former Foreign Secretary and was India’s High Commissioner in Mauritius (1992-97)
Published – March 10, 2025 12:08 am IST
