Africa-Press – Mauritius. Alan Ganoo, the foreign minister of Mauritius, expressed gratitude for India’s invitation to participate in the G20 proceedings and saw it as proof of the special relationship” between the two countries.
He said that it was a unique opportunity for Mauritius to make its voice heard as a small island developing state and to raise issues related to economic development, climate change, and global threats.
Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Mauritius’ foreign minister said, “Be the presidency of the G20, the chairmanship of the G20 and be it in terms of leadership of the countries of the South, I think India is due to the respect that it commands and the unanimity that it attracts.
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Ganoo also expressed concern about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Mauritius, including rising costs of imports and adverse effects on the cost of living, despite the subsidies offered by the Mauritian government.
He hoped that India’s leadership would help resolve the conflict, which was dominating discussions at the G20 Foreign Ministers and Finance Ministers meeting.
While there was no unanimity on the issue, Ganoo hoped that India’s “good offices” would help find a diplomatic way to resolve the conflict. Here is the complete interview:
WION: With me is the foreign minister of Mauritius, a country with which India has a strong relationship. So welcome to WION, my first question to you is, how do you see the relationship between the two countries between India and Mauritius?
Alan Ganoo: I must tell you that the historic ties that bind us are based on bonds of friendship and mutual respect. We have in fact, a privileged relationship with India, brotherly ties and this is manifested at different levels. For example, we are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations with India.
India has been supporting us since our independence and even before an India has been present in terms of help and support on different levels, education, capacity building, climate change, housing, just name it recently the flagship project of the light rail has been a project which has been so popular that it has transformed in fact the urban areas of Mauritius and has been a catalyst for growth and economic development.
This is why Mauritius is so grateful to India to the Republic of India and also to Prime Minister Modi who has definitely accelerated the pace of support and help to our country.
WION: India is the chair of the G20 and has invited your country to participate in the group’s proceedings. How do you see yourself being invited to the G20 proceedings?
Alan Ganoo: This is another proof; this is another testimony of the special relationship that exists between our two countries. On this score so we are very grateful to the Indian Prime Minister for having made this gesture to us by inviting us, a small island developing state to the table.
So it has been a unique opportunity for us to be here. That’s why as foreign minister, representing Mauritius, participated in the works of the deliberations.
I intervened twice, in fact, and it was an opportunity for us to make the voice of a small island developing state and for us to flag the different issues with regard to develop economic development, climate change, the threats that the country, all the countries of the world have to face today.
And I must tell you, that it was a very successful G 20 meeting, and we are happy that we have been invited to this meeting. WION: When it comes to India being the voice of the Global South, what can you say? India hosted the voice of the global South summit in the month of January.
So what’s your view about India taking that mantle of leadership? Alan Ganoo: Be the Presidency of the G20, the chairmanship of the G20 and be it in terms of leadership of the countries of the South, I think India is due to the respect that it commands and the unanimity that it attracts, I think it has been very positive.
It’s a good thing that India is taking over the leadership and with regard to the G20, I must tell you that it is an organization which usually works on the basis of consensus.
But now with India as the Chair, I think the G20 will be strengthened because it will mean more consensus and more unanimity. I think the G20 countries will continue to see the issue that unites them, in spite of the issues that divide them, of course, there is division and there will be division.
What is more important is the issues on which the G20 countries agree, which will enable them to forge ahead. WION: So Russia Ukraine conflict, how has it impacted your country, we saw the shadow of the conflict at the G20 Foreign Ministers and the finance ministers meet as well.
Alan Ganoo: It is inevitable that most countries of the world, not to say all countries of the world have been impacted by this conflict in Europe and a small country like Mauritius has not been spared.
As you know we are a small island in the Indian Ocean. We are far from Europe, from Asia. And with the rising cost of freight, with the soaring prices of petroleum products. We import 75% of our food requirements and inevitably, this has had a very adverse effect on the cost of living in Mauritius.
In spite of the fact that I must tell you that our prime minister, under his leadership, a lot of subsidies have been offered to basic commodities, on cooking gas subsidy and transport, because we have a very strong welfare state.
You know, education is free in Mauritius, health services are free, and transport is free for students and old age people. All Mauritians are eligible for an old age pension at the age of 60.
But in spite of that, because of all the adverse impact on the war of the country, and also, we were going through a paucity of in a recovery era, as you know, how are we going out of the post-COVID pandemic that we suffered the full blast of the war in Europe.
So in spite of all the subsidies given to the population, we must recognize that the cost of living has gone up to the detriment of the population. So, unfortunately, the war is still on. And what we wish is that the different leaders concerned, go back to the table, and we find a diplomatic way to resolve that conflict.
WION: And how do you see India’s role when it comes to resolving the conflict at the foreign ministers meeting that issue was dominating, so much over that there was a divide, but the Indian Prime Minister has several times said that this is not an era of war.
Alan Ganoo: I think there couldn’t have been a more appropriate time for India to take over the leadership of the G20. Because inspired by the Gandhian philosophy, I think India commands much respect from the developing countries of the south and even vis-a-vis the Western bloc.
So, India, in fact, the ideal Chair of the G20 and as you know, Mr Blinken was here, Foreign Minister of Russia was here. Unfortunately, there couldn’t be any unanimity or consensus. On this question of the conflict in Ukraine. As you know, the references to the war in the document, of course, there was no agreement.
Save for this issue there was an agreement on all the other issues for example, on climate change, and development cooperation, cyber criminality and food security, energy security, G20 agreed on all the documents on all these issues, but unfortunately, I don’t think anybody expected an agreement, a unanimity on the issue with regard to the conflict in Ukraine.
But let us hope, as I just told you, that with the help of India, with the good offices of India, we will see the light in the future with regard to that conflict, because there is an urgency.
The world is being impacted by this conflict. The poor countries will become poorer if this war continues, as you know, millions and millions of people in Africa will go back to poverty.
There is a threat of famine in poor countries, so we are living in difficult times and the wish of everybody is that India uses all the diplomacy that it can muster in order to help to find a peaceful solution to this country.
WION: So my last question is on the Chagos islands issue, what’s your view? How do you see India’s role when it comes to this issue, which is very close to your government and your people’s heart?
Alan Ganoo: Yeah, of course, we have to be grateful to India for having supported us all throughout this issue. And we are grateful to other countries in the world.
The majority of countries in the world voted for us. In the resolution before the United Nations as you know it was a massive victory for Mauritius. The United Nations General Assembly and also the case before the International Court of Justice, the ruling also were in our favour.
Now the time is for us to recuperate the islands from the British administration. Here again, it is only diplomacy that can work. As you know negotiations are taking place between the two parties.
Now, the UK government has agreed to start negotiations and let us hope we will have a successful conclusion. And on that score also, we are relying on friendly countries to help us to retrieve our four islands because the ICJ has clearly decreed that Mauritius has sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
Now it’s a question of Mauritius recuperating the part of its territory which was separated which was excised from the Mauritius territory, some 50 years ago. WION: So on a very lighter note, Holi is coming, it connects the 2 countries. So what’s the plan like, Holi Hai. .
Alan Ganoo: You know, all Hindu festivals are celebrated in Mauritius, the Diwali, Holi and also religious festivals like Mahashivratri, Durga Puja and just name it.
Mauritius is a multi-ethnic country also. We live in peace in harmony, and the other festivals of the other communities are also celebrated sometimes on a national level.
And it’s a public holiday, for example, for Christmas or Easter. We are a shining example of national unity in spite of the fact that we are a diverse population in fact, Unity in Diversity is our motto.
On Holi festival, everywhere in Mauritius, you will see the different colours and people will enjoy and will celebrate it, as they usually do. Probably during the COVID years, it was not the same.
But now that the covid is behind us, all the festivals are being celebrated in a very dignified and very flamboyant manner. And for example, MahaShivratri, which was celebrated a few weeks ago. People will go to the sacred lake, Ganga Talao.
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