Port Louis: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on a two-day visit on Tuesday with the aim of holding “meaningful talks” to further the special relationship between India and Mauritius. After being re-appointed as the Foreign Minister in the third term of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Jaishankar will hold the first bilateral meeting during this visit to the Indian Ocean island nation. The visit underlines the importance of India-Mauritius relations and reflects India’s commitment to ‘Neighborhood First Policy’, ‘Vision Sagar’ and ‘Global South’ (least developed countries).

Minister Manish Gobin welcomed
Mauritius’ Foreign Minister, Regional Integration and International Trade Manish Gobin welcomed Jaishankar at the airport. Sharing the pictures, Jaishankar wrote on the social media platform ‘X’, “Namaste Mauritius. Thank you Foreign Minister Manish Gobin for the warm welcome. He said, “Meaningful talks are expected to take this special relationship forward.” At the same time, Gobin said in a post on ‘X’ that Jaishankar’s visit reflects the “strong and lasting” partnership between the two countries. He said, “I am happy to welcome Jaishankar to Mauritius. His visit reflects the strong and lasting partnership between our countries. Together we will continue to strengthen our relations and explore new avenues of cooperation.” Jaishankar will meet Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jagannath during this visit and will also hold bilateral meetings with other senior ministers. Jaishankar will hold talks with Mauritius leaders The Ministry of External Affairs had issued a statement in New Delhi ahead of Jaishankar’s visit, saying, “During this visit, Jaishankar will also hold talks with other prominent leaders of Mauritius. This visit will provide an opportunity to both sides to comprehensively review various aspects of bilateral relations. The ministry had said that this visit also reaffirms the continued commitment of both the countries to further strengthen the multifaceted bilateral relations and deepen the close ties between the people. The statement said that before this visit of Jaishankar, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jagannath had visited India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Modi. Jaishankar had earlier visited Mauritius in February 2021.