Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Director-General of the Directorate General of the European Commission for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), Mrs Charlina Vitcheva, met with the Acting Prime Minister, Mr Steven Obeegadoo, this afternoon, at the Government House in Port Louis.
The Attorney General, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Maneesh Gobin, was present during the courtesy call.
In a statement following the meeting, the Acting Prime Minister reiterated that the European Union was a very important partner for Mauritius, supporting several development projects.
Recalling that Mauritius had an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone, Mr Obeegadoo said that discussions focused on ways to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and the country in the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the region and in the promotion of maritime security.
The Acting Prime Minister also talked on how the two Parties could work together and the means by which the European Union could assist Mauritius whether financially or through training and technology with the view to reinforcing the commitment of the country in protecting its resources.
Mr Obeegadoo highlighted as well the necessity to ensure the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources while preserving the natural resources in the territorial waters of the Republic of Mauritius.
For her part, Director-General Charlina Vitcheva deemed the courtesy call an extremely constructive and positive exchange between strategic and privileged partners that had a liked-minded approach on many issues, high on the global political agenda.
She spoke of the need to enhance cooperation in numerous areas related to the sea including fisheries, blue economy, maritime security, trade, and economic relations, the implementation of policy regarding the fight against IUU fishing, sharing of information, and the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement, among others.
The Director-General affirmed that the European partner would continue to collaborate with Mauritius to reinforce cooperation such as assisting the country in consolidating its capacity to implement a policy of zero tolerance against IUU.
She stated her appreciation that both Parties had the same ideas regarding the establishment of objectives and recommendations by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and their execution in the best possible ways for the protection of marine resources and equitable sharing of these resources.
Moreover, Mrs Vitcheva brought forth the adoption of the Treaty of the High Seas, known as ‘BBNJ’ – biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. She stressed that this Treaty could unleash the potential to create a large marine protected area in the high seas.
“The status of the ecosystem in the high seas influences the Exclusive Economic Zone and health status of the marine life of the country,” she stressed.
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