Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam announced on Friday that PM Narendra Modi will be the ‘Guest of Honour’ at Mauritius’ 57th National Day celebrations. PM Modi is set to visit Port Louis on March 11-12.
Navin Ramgoolam, addressing the Parliament, also highlighted the honour of hosting such a leader, especially given Modi’s packed schedule and recent international engagements in Paris and the United States.
“I have great pleasure to inform the House that following my invitation, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has kindly agreed to be the Guest of Honour for our National Day celebrations. It is indeed a singular privilege for our country, to host such a distinguished personality who is doing us this honour, despite his very tight schedule and his recent visits to Paris and the United States,” Ramgoolam said.
Ramgoolam added that Modi’s visit serves as a testament to the strong and enduring relationship between India and Mauritius.
“He has agreed to be here as our special guest. The visit of Modi is a testimony of the close relations between our two nations,” the Mauritian PM said.
It is understood that the Mauritius PM was keen to announce the visit of PM Modi in Parliament to cement bilateral ties with India.
Mauritius celebrates its National Day annually on March 12, marking its independence from British rule in 1968. The day also signifies the nation’s transition to a republic within the Commonwealth in 1992.
Earlier in November 2024, Modi congratulated Ramgoolam on his historic electoral victory in Mauritius.
Modi, in his wishes, had said he looked forward to working closely with Ramgoolam to further strengthen their “unique partnership”.
Sharing a post on X, Modi wrote, “Had a warm conversation with my friend @Ramgoolam_Dr, congratulating him on his historic electoral victory. I wished him great success in leading Mauritius and extended an invitation to visit India. Look forward to working closely together to strengthen our special and unique partnership.”
India shares close and long-standing ties with Mauritius, an island nation in the Western Indian Ocean, anchored in shared history, demography, and culture. A key reason for these special and strong ties is that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island’s 1.2 million population.