New Delhi, Jan 21: Bilateral relations between India and Mauritius are the early 1730s when artisans were brought from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. Diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius were established in 1968. Mauritius maintained contacts with India through successive Dutch, French and British occupation.
Prime Minister of Mauritius arrived in India on Sunday. He will be in the country from January 20-28. After spending a day in the capital, he is scheduled to leave for Varanasi on Monday.
During his more than a week-long visit, Jugnauth will hold talks with the various leaders and attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi. During the visit, the Mauritius Prime Minister will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind. He is also scheduled to visit Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
India has become Mauritius’ largest source of imports since 2007 and Mauritius imported US$816 million worth of goods in the April 2010-March 2011 financial year. Mauritius has remained the largest source of FDI for India for more than a decade with FDI equity inflows totalling US$55.2 billion in the period April 2000 to April 2011.
Mauritius is part of India's security grid including Coastal Surveillance Radar (CSR) station of Indian Navy's National Command Control Communication Intelligence network. The Head of the Mauritius Navy and the Mauritian National Security Advisor are Indian officers.