Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour at Mauritius national day next month, Mauritius Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam has announced. Mauritius celebrates its national day on 12 March and it was on this day in 1968 that country gained its independence from the British. It was also on this day in 1992 that it became a republic. 

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In a statement in the Parliament, PM Ramgoolam said, "In the context of the celebrations of the 57th anniversary of the Independence of our country, I have great pleasure to inform the House, that following my invitation, His Excellency, Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has kindly agreed to be the Guest of Honour for our National Day celebrations". 


Amid the thunderous applause, he highlighted that it is "indeed a singular privilege for our country, to host such a distinguished personality who is doing us this honour, inspite of his very tight schedule and inspite of his recent visits to Paris and the United States. He has agreed to be here as our special guest" and the upcoming visit is a "testimony of the close relations between our two nations".


Both countries share strong ties, including India's assistance to development projects. India has provided over USD 1 billion in credit lines and USD 400 million in grants over the past decade, funding infrastructure like the Metro Express and community projects. 

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Speaking to WION in Muscat, earlier this week, foreign minister of Mauritius Dhananjay Ramful said, "There are various projects where India has been helping us through grants or loans. You have the metro project that has been implemented over several years. We are also about to inaugurate the civil service college, which, again, was financed by the Indian government. So in various sectors be it health, education, culture. India has always been at the forefront to try and help Mauritius". 

Also Read: India has been very supportive of finalising Chagos deal, says Mauritius FM Dhananjay Ramful

India and Mauritius ties

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India was also the first responder amid the COVID-19 crisis and provided vaccines and essential items and support during the 2020 Wakashio oil spill. Economically, the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), effective since April 2021, marks a milestone as India’s first trade deal with an African nation.


Diaspora has been a major connection between the 2 countries. There are 22,188 Indian nationals and 13,198 OCI card holders currently in Mauritius. A special carve-out for OCI Cards for Mauritian nationals with Indian lineage traceable up to the 7th generation was announced during the State Visit of President Droupadi Murmu in March 2024. 


A large percentage of the country's population is of Hindu faith. Mauritius’ Hindu community, predominantly comprising Bihari and Tamil people, maintains a strong connection to India. Last year when the consecration of Ayodhya Ram temple was undertaken in India, a 2-hour special leave for Hindu public servants was announced.


The visit of PM Modi comes months after Mauritius and the UK announced a deal on the Chagos Islands last year, in which India played a key role. Under the deal, the UK would end its control over Chagos and hand over the sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius but would retain control over Diego Garcia’s UK-US military base for 99 years.  


Foreign minister Ramful said, "I have to stress that India has been very supportive to Mauritius in trying to finalize this deal, and they are still willing and committed to us restoring our sovereignty on the Chagos archipelago." 


With the Trump administration coming into the White House, things could change on the deal, with the US say being taken on the issue. Asked if Trump could revisit the deal, FM said, "Now we also consider that it is important that the US, the new administration especially, has a new look at the deal since the US has an interest in the base on Diego Garcia, so we are waiting now for the US to look at the deal, and for the UK to eventually come to us and finalize the deal."