EAM Jaishankar inaugurates Maitree Udyan in Port Louis, Mauritius
Visits
6 min read
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar inaugurated the India -Mauritius Maitree Udyan in Port Louis and planted a tree there. The Foreign Minister of Mauritius, Maneesh Gobin was also present during the groundbreaking ceremony on 16 July 2024. Dr S Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to Mauritius on July 16 and 17, 2024.
First Bilateral visit of Dr Jaishankar after being Re-appointed
The two-day visit to Mauritius was the first bilateral visit to a country by Dr S.Jaishankear following his re-appointment as India's External Affairs Minister. It is also his second visit to Mauritius as External Affairs Minister after his visit in February 2021.
The visit of Dr Jaishnakar came after Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth's visit, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 June 2024.
Highlights of Dr Jaishankar's Visit to Mauritius
India and Mauritius have close ties, and a sizeable population of Mauritius is of Indian origin.
During his visit, Dr Jaishankar met the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth and Deputy Prime Minister Steven Obeegadoo. He discussed bilateral relations with his Mauritius counterpart, Maneesh Gobin.
Dr Jaishankar also visited the Civil Service College project in Reduit, which is being built with Indian assistance.
Dr Jaishankar said that the Civil Service College project is a symbol of India-Mauritius friendship that will meet the training needs of Mauritian civil servants and serve as a centre of excellence in public administration.
Inaugurates First Overseas Jan Aushadi Kendra
EAM Jaishankar also inaugurated the first Jan Aushadi Kendra outside India at Grand Bois in Mauritius in the presence of the prime minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
The Medicilinic, set up with Indian assistance, will provide secondary health care for 16,000 people in the Grand Bois area.
Cheap generic medicines are provided at the Jan Aushadhi Kendra.
India's Support to Mauritius on the Chagos Archipelago
Dr Jaishankar supported Mauritius's claim on the Chagos archipelago, in which Mauritius is in a dispute with the United Kingdom over its sovereignty.
The Chagos Archipelago comprises more than 60 islands in the central Indian Ocean, about 500 kilometres south of the Maldives.
The United Kingdom occupied Mauritius and the Chagos archipelago in 1810.
Mauritius became independent in 1968, but the United Kingdom separated the Chagos island from Mauritius before granting independence to Mauritius.
It refused to hand over the Chagos islands to Mauritius, saying it was a separate region.
Mauritius claimed sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, but the United Kingdom government has consistently refused to return them to Mauritius.
The British government claims that the island is necessary for the United States, which has a large military base on Diego Garcia Island,
Mauritius took the matter to the International Court of Justice, which, in its judgement in 2019, ruled in favour of Mauritius and asked the United Kingdom to return the Chagos island to Mauritius.
However, the United Kingdom has refused to accept the ruling and said that the Chagos archipelago is necessary for its defence and security needs.
About Mauritius
Mauritius is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean near the eastern African coast. It is an African country.
About two-thirds of the country’s population are of Indian origin. The British brought them to work in sugarcane plantations.
Many are from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and Bhojpuri is a widely spoken language in the country.
The country's official language is English, but Creole is spoken by most of the population.
About half the population of Mauritius are Hindus.
Capital: Port Louis
Currency: Mauritian Rupee
Prime Minister: Pravind Kumar Jugnauth
