EAM, Mauritius PM reaffirm commitment to take forward partnership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take forward the "truly special partnership" between India and Mauritius.

Sharing a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jaishankar stated, "Delighted to call on PM @KumarJugnauth of Mauritius today morning. Value Mauritius' participation in the @g20org. Reaffirmed our commitment to take our truly special partnership forward."

On September 7, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit set to be hosted under India's Presidency on September 9-10.

Union Minister of State for Ports, and Shipping Shripad Naik received him at the airport. As he came out of the Delhi airport, he was welcomed with a traditional folk dance performance.

India is hosting the G20 Leader's Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. This is the first time that a G20 Summit is taking place under India's presidency.

On Thursday, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hailed India's G20 Presidency and said that there couldn't have been a better them for the summit than 'One Earth, One Family and One Future', which translates to 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'.

He also thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting Mauritius as a Guest Country at the G20 Summit and affirmed contributing at the summit.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Jugnauth said, "I must thank the government of India, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for having invited Mauritius as a Guest Country to attend this G20 Summit. Mauritius is very honoured and privileged to be participating. We have contributed throughout the year and we are going to contribute to this Summit. This is being held at a very critical juncture because we have been facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We were at a situation when the whole world was at its knees. On top of that, it is being compounded now with this conflict in Ukraine. We also see the effects of climate change".

"So, it is important for a summit like this one all the countries to sit down and see how we can bounce back. I think there is a need for us to be resilient, there is a need to review our policies in view of the lessons that we can draw from those events," he added.

He further said that amid the ongoing conflicts in Africa and Ukraine, and issues like climate change, the issues being put up by India under its presidency are very pertinent.

"I think there could not have been a better theme that has been chosen by India - One Earth, One Family and One Future - which is drawn from the Sanskrit phase of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. I think this is pertinent more so when we look at the effect of climate change because what one country does, not only affects that country but also the whole world. That is why, we have to reflect collectively and we have to act collectively," the Mauritius Prime Minister said.

He added, "Each one of us has a duty to save the planet and save the whole population. I am happy to see that India has taken this very inclusive approach and to try to get everybody on board. There have been a number of meetings before the summit, and there have been a lot of proposals and ideas that have been edited. I am very confident that we are going to make progress."

India has close, longstanding relations with Mauritius, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons, according to the Ministry of External Affairs statement. A key reason for the special ties between the two nations is that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island's population. India has traditionally been the 'first responder' for Mauritius in times of crisis, including during the recent COVID-19 and Wakashio oil-spill crises.