Narendra Modi to attend Mauritius National Day celebration as guest of honour, says PM Navin Ramgoolam

Navin Ramgoolam made the announcement in the country's Parliament.

“I have great pleasure to inform the House that following my invitation, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has kindly agreed to be the Guest of Honour for our National Day celebrations," the Mauritian PM was quoted as saying by ANI.

"It is indeed a singular privilege for our country, to host such a distinguished personality who is doing us this honour, despite his very tight schedule and his recent visits to Paris and the United States," he said.

“He has agreed to be here as our special guest," he said.

He said Modi's upcoming visit is a testimony of the close ties shared between the two nations.

India-Mauritius Relationship

Mauritius will celebrate the National Day on March 12.

As per the Indian Embassy in Mauritius, India has close and longstanding relations with Mauritius, an island nation in the Western Indian Ocean, anchored in shared history, demography and culture.

A key reason for the special ties is the fact that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70% of the island’s population of 1.2 million (28% Creole, 3% Sino-Mauritian, 1% Franco-Mauritian).

Mauritius was one of the handful of important countries with which independent India established diplomatic relations in 1948, even before the independence of Mauritius.

India was represented by an Indian Commissioner in British-ruled Mauritius between 1948 and 1968 and thereafter, by a High Commissioner after Mauritius became independent in 1968.

India has traditionally been the ‘First Responder’ for Mauritius in times of crisis, including during the recent Covid-19 and Wakashio oil-spill crises.

In the wake of a massive oil spill following the grounding of the Japanese vessel Wakashio off the Mauritian coast on July 25, 2020, India was again the first responder. An IAF aircraft brought 30 tonnes of technical equipment, and a 10-member Technical Response Team on August 16, 2020.

INS Nireekshak joined the Mauritian National Coast Guard in salvaging the sunk Mauritian Tug ‘Sir Gaetan Duval’, following an accidental collision during the Wakashio salvage operations.

Commercial Relations

Since 2005, India has been among the largest trading partners of Mauritius. For the FY 2023-24 Indian exports to Mauritius was USD 778.03 mn, Mauritian exports to India was USD 73.10 mn and total trade was USD 851.13 mn.

Trade has grown in the last 18 years, from USD 206.76 million in 2005-06 to USD 851.13 million in 2023-24.