India announces LOC of USD 100 m for defence procurement by Mauritius

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The President of India Ram Nath Kovind on March 12, 2018, led delegation-level talks with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and members of his Cabinet. The President also witnessed the exchange of several agreements/MoUs between India and Mauritius.

India announced a new Line of Credit of USD 100 million for defence procurement by the Government of Mauritius. It offered a Multi-Purpose Offshore Patrol Vessel (MPOPV) to Mauritius to augment its security capacity. This would be financed through the new defence LOC announced on March 12  and also with an additional grant component of USD 5 million.

The other Agreements/MoUs exchanged on March 12 were an MoU on cooperation between Nalanda University in Bihar and Mauritius, an MoU on the establishment of an Ayurveda Chair at the University of Mauritius, an MoU between the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in India and the Public Service Commission of Mauritius whereby the UPSC will provide necessary assistance for capacity building to its Mauritian counterpart, and an agreement to facilitate cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Speaking on the occasion, President Kovind said, “India and Mauritius share common security concerns in the Indian Ocean Region. India has assisted Mauritius in the past by supplying patrol vessels. Taking this cooperation further, I am happy to announce today that India will supply a Multi-Purpose Offshore Patrol Vessel to Mauritius under a Line of Credit.”

Later in the day, President Kovind received various dignitaries who called on him. The Mauritian dignitaries included Justice Kheshoe Parsad Matadeen, Chief of Justice of Mauritius, Ms Santi Bai Hanoomanjee, Speaker, National Assembly of Mauritius, and  Xavier Luc Duval, Leader of Opposition of Mauritius.

At these meetings, the President said that India-Mauritius bilateral cooperation is comprehensive and multi-faceted. Regular high-level interaction between political leaders of the two countries has given direction and impetus to this partnership. Shared values of democracy, rule of law and social harmony further reinforce our relationship, President Kovind said, according to a PIB release.

Earlier this morning, President Kovind visited Ganga Talao and the Apravasi Ghat World Heritage Site to pay his tributes. Both these sites are held in great reverence by the Indian community in Mauritius. Apravasi Ghat represents the location where members of the early Indian community arrived in Mauritius as indentured labourers in the 19^th century.

The President of the Republic of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib-Fakim hosted a lunch in honour of President Kovind on March 12, 2018. Speaking on the occasion, President Kovind thanked the Government and people of Mauritius for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality accorded to him and his delegation. He congratulated Mauritius on the 50^th anniversary of the country’s independence from colonial rule.