The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, will visit Mauritius from 11 to 13 March. This three-day visit comes following the invitation by the Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, to be the Chief Guest of the 45th Independence Day celebrations of the island-nation.
During this visit, President Mukherjee will meet his Mauritian counterpart Rajkeswur Purryag, the Prime Minister of Mauritius, the Speaker of the Mauritian National Assembly, the Chief Justice and the Leader of the Opposition, among others.
Both sides are expected to discuss and review bilateral relations, and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in a press briefing stated that there are “likely to be some agreements that are being finalized and are expected to be signed during the visit.”
The New Delhi-Port Louis bilateral relationship is important, owing to historical and strategic reasons. 70% of the Mauritian population is of Indian origin–the only country with such a characteristic–giving it a particular salience in India’s foreign policy.
Both sides are important trade and investment partners with India being the largest source of imports to Mauritius, and Mauritius contributing 38%, is the largest source of foreign direct investments into India. Furthermore, Mauritius also houses the headquarters of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation and the Indian Ocean Commission on its territory. The current Secretary-General of IOR-ARC is from India, and Mauritius has showcased steady support for India’s initiatives in the organization and in the region.
This is the third bilateral visit between the two nations, with President Rajkeswur Purryag and Prime Minister Ramgoolam’s visit to India, in January and February respectively, being the first and the second.