Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs of India and Special Representative of the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Mr V.
Muraleedharan, inaugurated, today, the UTSAV: India Mauritius Shopping Carnival at the Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre (SVICC), in Pailles.
This event is being organised jointly by the High Commission of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, International Trade of the Government of Mauritius from 01-05 November 2023 as part of the 75th Anniversary of India – Mauritius Diplomatic relations.
The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun; the Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Maneesh Gobin; the Former Vice-President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Raouf Bundhun; the High Commissioner of the Indian High Commission in Mauritius, Mrs Nandini K.
Singla; several other Ministers and members of Diplomatic Corps were present on the occasion. In his address, State Minister lauded the holding of this cultural fair for such trade fairs provide a common platform for traders, exporters, importers, joint ventures and investments and, business activities of both countries to connect and showcase a wide range of products.
Elaborating on the economic sphere, an important pillar of this privileged partnership, Mr Muraleedharan indicated that India is one of Mauritius’s top trading partners while Mauritius is part of India’s top sources of Foreign Direct Investments through India’s first preferential agreement with Mauritius, the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA).
Dwelling on future bilateral trade expansion with Mauritius, he announced the launching of the Indian RuPay Card and Unified Payments Interface system in Mauritius.
This, he underscored, will enable Mauritian and Indian tourists to make debit and credit card payments using their local cards without having to exchange currency.
The State Minister, also outlined some previous collaborations between the two countries, namely: the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on employment of workers from India to address labour and skill shortages in Mauritius; and setting up of special payment facilities to enable, for the first time, Indian and Mauritian traders to settle their cross borders financial transactions in Indian Rupees.
For his part, Minister Gobin said that the visit of the State Minister is a clear testimony of the exceptional long-standing relations which exist between Mauritius and India.
He invited the population to celebrate future popular events marking the closure of the 75th Anniversary of India – Mauritius Diplomatic relations, in particular the Grand finale of the “Ubharte Sitare 2023” Singing Competition; the Indian Film Festival, and the Fashion Indo- Mauritian Show.
The Foreign Affairs Minister further attested that Mauritius and India have long enjoyed a special relationship, rooted in shared history, cultural ties, and a mutual vision for progress, and, over the years, have witnessed the strengthening of economic and trade relations.
On this score, the Minister provided an overview of the increasing trend in the bilateral trade such as its boost through the CECPA; the Mauritius International Financial Centre which, over the past three decades has served various Global Business Companies structuring around USD 187 billion of asset under management into the Indian market and; the surge in the import-export sector between Mauritius and India.
The Mauritius-India partnership goes beyond our bilateral cooperation, Mr Gobin added, as Mauritius with its strong historical ties to Africa can act as a gateway for India to establish a broader linkage with the African continent.
He pointed out that the country looks forward to pursuing this journey together with a view to strengthening the Mauritius-India friendly relations and the growing affection between people.
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