Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

Indo-Mauritius agreements signed

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, H.E. Mr. Paul Raymond Berenger at Port Louis, Mauritius. This was followed by delegation-level talks. The following bilateral agreements were signed today:

Agreement on Setting up a Joint Working Group for Combating International Terrorism and Related Matters

Mauritius and India have long recognized the threat posed to international peace and security by the spread of international terrorism, both by non-State actors as well as by sponsoring States. Mauritius is one of the few countries in the world to have passed a tough anti-terrorism law, which considers even ' moral support' to terrorism as a crime.

The Agreement envisages the creation of a Joint Working Group (JWG) to oversee bilateral cooperation in fighting international terrorism and associated threats like organised crime, illicit trafficking of arms and narcotics, money laundering, etc. The Agreement outlines some of the collaborative activities that the JWG will adopt, such as sharing of experiences and information (including 'real time' intelligence), and coordination of approaches and methodologies (including training and familiarisation programmes). The JWG is empowered to set up appropriate institutional mechanisms for fulfilling its mandate.

As per the Agreement, the signatory countries will seek to identify international linkages between groups responsible for perpetrating, supporting, funding or sponsoring terrorist activities, particularly against Mauritius or India. Mauritius and India will cooperate with each other by carrying out investigation, arrest, deportation, extradition and prosecution of identified terrorist suspects. The JWG will explore the means to prevent the flow of funds to terrorist networks, especially through non-banking channels, and will also seek to deny access of terrorist groups to arms, explosives or radioactive substances. The Agreement emphasises the commitment of the signatory countries towards UN Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1333 and 1373 and enjoins the JWG to coordinate their efforts in the United Nations and other specialised institutions, with the aim of ensuring the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. According to the Agreement, the Ministry of External Affairs on the Indian side and the Prime Minister's Office on the Mauritian side are the respective nodal agencies. The JWG will also comprise representatives from other related agencies and organizations from each side. The JWG on terrorism will meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Mauritius.

Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Environment Protection

The MoU reiterates the commitment of India and Mauritius towards the preservation of global environment and to the targets adopted by the international community during the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) at Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 and at the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. India and Mauritius undertake to intensify their cooperation for the preservation of the environment on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

Some of the modalities listed by the MoU for realizing such cooperation include encouragement of contacts between relevant Government agencies and private enterprises, exchange of information on each other's environmental legislation; collaboration between academic and research institutions; preparation of joint projects and scientific programmes; organization of bilateral meetings and symposia and participation by each other's experts in international conferences and symposia organised in the partner country etc.

For coordination and overseeing of the above mechanisms, the MoU envisages the creation of an Indo-Mauritius Working Group that will meet alternately in Mauritius and India for considering concrete activities and programmes for mutual cooperation in this area. The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Mauritian Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit shall be the nodal agencies under this arrangement. Some of the subjects identified for cooperation under the MoU are pollution control and waste-water treatment, environmental legislation and its enforcement, environment impact assessments of projects and use of Information Technology for setting up public information centres and environment information systems and forest conservation. Keeping in mind the fragile ecologies of small island States like Mauritius, the MoU makes special mention of cooperation aimed at prevention of Coastal Erosion, Lagoon Pollution, loss of biodiversity and damage of the reef system.

Agreement for an EXIM Bank Credit Line of US$10 million to Government of Mauritius, for construction of a sewerage project in Baie-du-Tombeau

India has always been committed towards the development of social and physical infrastructure in Mauritius. Indian assistance in the infrastructural development of Mauritius has manifested itself in several collaborative projects. For many of these, Government of India provided project finance through generous credit lines. In the recent past, the Ebene Cyber Tower is one of the most prominent projects that has benefited from a Government of India credit line of US$100 million. Similarly, the newly built Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre has been built with Indian financial assistance of US$ 15 million, half of which was in the form of a credit line and the other half was an outright grant.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed during the present visit of Dr. Manmohan Singh continues this tradition of financing support for the development of infrastructure in Mauritius. As per this Agreement, the Export Import Bank of India would be extending a line of credit of US$10 million to the Mauritian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development for the construction of a sewerage treatment plant at Baie-du-Tombeau in Mauritius. The credit may be availed for the import of eligible goods and services from India, in connection with the above project. By facilitating the financing of this important project, this Agreement will permit the Mauritius Government to augment and upgrade the quality of its public services.

Memorandum of Understanding on Air Services Agreement

With growing business contacts and tourist flows between India and Mauritius, there is a rising demand for augmented air connectivity between the two countries. Delegations representing the civil aviation authorities from both countries held bilateral air services talks on March 27-28, 2005. One of the key results of these talks was the finalisation of the understanding whereby both countries will grant Fifth Country Rights to each other. As per the new arrangements, it would be possible for designated Mauritian Airlines to service routes from Mauritius to Delhi or Chennai, and beyond to Karachi and Shanghai or Beijing. Similarly, the designated Indian Airlines would be able to service routes from points in India to Mauritius and beyond to two destinations in South Africa. The designated airlines of Mauritius would also be able to service the Mauritius-Bangalore direct route. Designated airlines from both countries would be able to operate up to 14 weekly flights under the new arrangements. These new arrangements are sure to generate positive spin offs by improving air connectivity between India and Mauritius. Coupled with the recent liberalization of visa rules for short duration Indian visitors by the Government of Mauritius, the augmented air connectivity will also lead to greater inflows of Indian tourists to Mauritius.