Indian Minister of External Affairs qualifies visit as satisfying

GIS - July 05, 2010: The Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India, Mr. S. M. Krishna, termed his first visit to Mauritius, in a brief media statement prior to his departure for Maputo, Mozambique, as satisfying, eventful and useful as to gain a better understanding of the special relationship that exists between the two nations.

The official visit of the Indian Minister from 2 to 4 July 2010 provided the opportunity for the signature of five Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on cultural cooperation, the provision of an Offshore Patrol Vessel for the surveillance of territorial waters, the establishment of a warning system for tsunamis and IT Security, among others.

Mr. Krishna asserted that India and Mauritius have such a wide range of issues of mutual interest that cooperation is comprehensive and multidimensional. He expressed confidence that his visit would lead to further strengthening of relations and cooperation in the years to come.

The Minister was impressed with the commonality of approaches to problems evoked during discussions which focussed on trade, cooperation in maritime security and other issues of mutual concern. “The threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean region, along Somalia and beyond, has posed a real danger to human life and shipping lanes: we are determined to work together with Mauritius to provide facility and security in the region”, he added.

The Indian Minister of External Affairs was appreciative of the support of Mauritius to India’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.  He also reiterated the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, to the Mauritian Prime Minister for a State visit to India in the course of this year.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Dr. A. Boolell, who was present for the sending off of the Indian Minister, stated that over and above kinship and mutual feelings, India is also a privileged partner. “We are glad to attract as many investors as possible from India, and as a responsible government, we make it a point to create an enabling environment and offer the appropriate facilities and incentives to attract further investment”, he said.

According to Dr Boolell, there is the political will between the two countries to converge strength and forces to not only move the process forward on sensitive issues such as economic agreement, investments and financial services but to iron out differences. The Minister expressed the country’s gratitude to the Indian government for the continuous technical assistance being provided to build our capacity. Dr Boolell assured Mr. Krishna of Mauritius’s support to India for fair representation within other organisations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.