External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday reaffirmed India's consistent and continued support to Mauritius in its quest for progress and prosperity.
Mr Jaishankar is in Mauritius for a two-day visit for "productive engagements" with the leadership of Mauritius to take forward the special bilateral ties.
The visit to the Indian Ocean island nation marks one of the first bilateral engagements undertaken by Mr Jaishankar following his re-appointment in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
"India's ties with Mauritius have blossomed into a robust and multifaceted partnership. The bilateral relation with Mauritius serves as a role model for India's successful development collaboration abroad," Mr Jaishankar said at an event attended by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.
The event saw the inauguration of 12 High Impact Community Development Projects that are funded by India, the exchange of MoUs on education, culture, digitisation of Immigration Archives and collaboration in the field of space and innovation.
Mr Jaishankar and Mr Jugnauth also handed over OCI cards to seventh-generation Indian-origin people in Mauritius.
The visit underscores the importance of the India-Mauritius relationship and is a reflection of India's 'Neighbourhood First Policy', Vision SAGAR, and commitment to the Global South.
According to the Indian High Commission at Mauritius website, India has close, long-standing relations with Mauritius, an island nation in the Western Indian Ocean, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons.
A key reason for the special ties is the fact that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island's population of 1.2 million, it added.
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