Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India fully respects the sovereignty of Mauritius with regard to Chagos as the two countries signed 8 MoUs, including the one on sharing of white shipping information.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam on the second and final day of his State Visit to the island nation, PM Modi said, “We fully respect the sovereignty of Mauritius with regard to Chagos. We will extend our cooperation through forums such as the Colombo Security Conclave, Indian Ocean Rim Association, and Indian Ocean Conference.”

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India has welcomed the agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, emphasising that the treaty completes the decolonisation of Mauritius.

The agreement meant that Mauritius would assume sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Chagos Archipelago, with the UK authorised to exercise the sovereign rights of Mauritius on Diego Garcia.

Modi’s two-day official visit to Mauritius which concluded this evening witnessed the inking of 8 MoUs and agreements on currency settlement system, credit facility agreement, sharing of white shipping information, among others.

During the visit, PM Modi also announced India’s support for setting up of a new Parliament Building in Mauritius, and Phase-II of High Impact Community Development projects to further enhance the development partnership.

The Mauritius Prime Minister said PM Modi and he personally agreed to strengthen the relations to Mauritius-India Joint Vision Document for an Enhanced Strategic Partnership.

Ramgoolam said through this move, they aim to take India-Mauritius relations to the next level.

“During this visit, the Prime Minister and I had constructive discussions on how to take our bilateral relations to even greater heights. In this perspective, I am pleased to announce that His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi and myself have further agreed to strengthen our relations to the Mauritius-India Joint Vision Document for an Enhanced Strategic Partnership,” Ramgoolam said at their Joint Press Conference.

Ramgoolam said their shared vision was to increase cooperation across various sectors.

“Our shared vision is to increase our cooperation in existing and emerging sectors, such as space research, AI, digital health, ocean economy, pharmaceuticals, ICT, FinTech and Cyber security,” he said.

PM Modi said, “Today, Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and I have decided to elevate the India-Mauritius partnership to an ‘Enhanced Strategic Partnership’. We’ve decided that India will cooperate in building a new Parliament building in Mauritius. This will be a gift to Mauritius from the Mother of Democracy. Efforts will be made to modernize a 100 km long water pipeline in Mauritius.”

PM Modi further said he and the Mauritius Prime Minister agree that Defence Cooperation and Maritime Security are key pillars of both countries’ strategic partnership.

“Free, open, secure, and safe Indian Ocean is our common priority. We are committed to providing our full support for the security of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Mauritius. In this regard, we will extend every possible assistance to meet the needs of the Coast Guard,” PM Modi said.

He said India will also assist in setting up of the Police Academy and National Maritime Information Sharing Centre in Mauritius. Cooperation will be further strengthened in White shipping, Blue economy, and hydrography, PM Modi said.

He further said be it the Global South, the Indian Ocean or the African Continent, Mauritius is India’s important partner.

“Ten years ago, the foundation of Vision SAGAR, which stands for “Security and Growth for All in the Region” was laid here in Mauritius. We’re moving ahead with the SAGAR Vision for the stability and prosperity of this region,” PM Modi said.

“Today, building upon this, I want to say that our vision for Global South will be – going beyond SAGAR – it will be MAHASAGAR, i.e. “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions”. It shall encompass the ideas of trade for development, capacity building for sustainable growth, and mutual security for a shared future. Under this, we will extend cooperation through technology sharing, concessional loan and grants,” PM Modi said.