New Delhi [India], March 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Mauritius late Monday night on a two-day State visit. He will attend the National Day celebrations as the Chief Guest on March 12.

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the visit is towards strengthening 'India-Mauritus enduring ties.'

'Strengthening India-Mauritus enduring ties! PM @narendramodi has embarked on a 2-day State visit to Port Louis, Mauritius. PM will participate as the Chief Guest at Mauritius' National Day Celebrations & also meet Mauritian leadership & dignitaries,' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated in a post on X.

https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1899169358200611012

In his departure statement on Monday, PM Modi said that he looks forward to the opportunity to engage with the Mauritius leadership during his visit to elevate bilateral partnership and strengthen friendship for security and development in the Indian Ocean Region.

He called Mauritius a 'close maritime neighbour, key partner in the Indian Ocean and a gateway to the African continent.'

'At the invitation of my friend, Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, I am embarking on a two-day State Visit to Mauritius to participate in the celebrations of the 57th National Day of Mauritius. We are connected by history, geography and culture. Deep mutual trust, a shared belief in the values of democracy, and celebration of our diversity are our strengths,' he said.

'The close and historical people-to-people connect is a source of shared pride. We have made significant strides in the past ten years with people-centric initiatives,' he added.

He expressed confidence that the visit would build on the foundations of the past and open a new and bright chapter in the India-Mauritius relationship.

'I look forward to the opportunity to engage the Mauritius leadership to elevate our partnership in all its facets and strength our enduring friendship for the progress and prosperity of our peoples, as well as for security and development in the Indian Ocean Region, as part of our Vision SAGAR,' he said.

PM Modi is travelling to Mauritius at the invitation of his Mauritian counterpart, Navinchandra Ramgoolam. He will attend the National Day celebrations of Mauritius on March 12 as the Chief Guest. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release, a contingent of Indian Defence Forces and a ship from the Indian Navy will participate in the celebrations. PM Modi last visited Mauritius in 2015.

During his visit, PM Modi will call on the Mauritius President, and Prime Minister and hold meetings with senior dignitaries and leaders of political parties in Mauritius.

He will also interact with the members of the Indian-origin community and inaugurate the Civil Service College and the Area Health Centre, both built with India's grant assistance, according to MEA press release. A number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will be exchanged during the visit.

'India and Mauritius share a close and special relationship rooted in shared historical, cultural and people to people ties. Further, Mauritius forms an important part of India's Vision SAGAR, i.e., Security and growth for All in the Region,' the MEA statement read.

'The visit will reaffirm the strong and enduring bond between India and Mauritius and reinforce the shared commitment of both countries to enhance the bilateral relationship across all sectors,' it added.

Earlier, Indian High Commissioner to Mauritius, Anurag Srivastava, called the relationship between the two countries 'truly special' and expressed that he expects agreement in areas of maritime security and capacity building.

'This is a truly special relationship and this relationship has matured into a very strong, robust and multifaceted partnership. This partnership spans areas like maritime security cooperation, development partnership, capacity building, health and education and various other areas,' Srivastava told ANI.

'In the meetings between the two Prime Ministers, we anticipate that there will be very important agreements and announcements that will be made following these meetings. It is expected that there would be agreements in the areas of maritime security in order to take forward a maritime security partnership, as well as in areas like capacity building and others,' he added. (ANI)