Overseas secretary to go to Mauritius after formation of recent authorities
Overseas secretary Vikram Misri will go to Mauritius throughout December 20-22 to take ahead bilateral ties following the formation of a brand new authorities within the African nation led by Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam final month.
The go to displays the precedence that India attaches to its relations with Mauritius underneath its SAGAR (Safety and Progress for All within the Area) imaginative and prescient, “Africa Ahead” coverage and dedication to the World South, the exterior affairs ministry stated on Thursday.
The go to additionally marks the primary high-level engagement between the 2 sides after the formation of the brand new authorities in Mauritius led by Ramgoolam in November.
The ministry stated India and Mauritius share age-old ties rooted in shared historical past and encompassing cooperation throughout a number of sectors. “The go to can be a chance to additional advance our bilateral ties with Mauritius,” it stated.
The go to additionally comes at a time when Ramgoolam has stated that he has submitted counterproposals to the UK relating to a historic deal for handing over management of the strategic Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
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In October, Britain stated it will cede sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius on the situation that the UK and the US would keep a strategic army base on the atoll of Diego Garcia. Underneath the proposed deal, Diego Garcia, the biggest of a sequence of some 60 islands, would stay underneath British management for not less than 99 years.
Nevertheless, Ramgoolam stated on Tuesday he was reopening negotiations with the UK as a result of the deal in its present type “wouldn’t produce the advantages that the nation may anticipate from such an settlement”. He informed Parliament that his authorities “continues to be prepared to conclude an settlement with the UK” and had submitted counterproposals.
The Diego Garcia base, residence to about 2,500 US army personnel, is seen as essential for operations in West and South Asia and East Africa.
India had welcomed Britain’s choice in October to cede sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius to be able to resolve the long-standing territorial dispute. India has constantly supported Mauritius’s declare of sovereignty over Chagos Islands in step with its “principled stand on decolonisation and assist for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries”.
The political settlement on the Chagos Islands is topic to a treaty and supporting authorized devices being finalised.
