Statement to the media by PM in Mauritius

Published By : Admin | March 12, 2015 | 00:11 IST


Prime Minister Sir Aneerood Jugnauth, members of the media

I sincerely thank you for your warm welcome and the extraordinary hospitality.

I am very grateful to you and the people of Mauritius for invitation as the Chief Guest of the National Day tomorrow.

It is an honour for the 1.25 billion people of India. They deeply value this relationship.

It flows from the depth of our hearts; and, from the deepest bonds of kinship.

We always stand in solidarity and support for each other. It comes naturally to us from our friendship, our shared values, and our common regional and global interests.

684-14 PM Modi media statement  after delegation level talks (2)

We are partners in our economic progress.

We have built a relationship of matchless strength and character.

It is no surprise that Prime Minister and I had an excellent meeting. The outcomes and decisions today are truly significant.

We discussed our shared interests in a safe and secure Indian Ocean and a stable and prosperous Indian Ocean Region. We value the leadership by Mauritius in this area.

Today, I was pleased to offer a concessional line of credit of 500 million U.S. dollars for civil infrastructure projects for Mauritius.

We also intend to quickly build the petroleum storage and bunkering facility in Mauritius. This will not only benefit Mauritius, but also reinforce its role as a regional hub.

A decade ago, India helped build the first cyber city in Mauritius. Its remarkable success reflects the strategic foresight of Mauritius in diversifying its economy. Today, we have offered support for construction of the second cyber city.

Our agreement today on the development of Agalega Island is a major stride in our cooperation in infrastructure sector. It demonstrates the depth of our mutual confidence.

Mauritius has shown great vision in the development of its Ocean Economy.

Our agreement on cooperation in the Ocean Economy is an important step in our scientific and economic partnership.

This will improve our understanding of marine ecology.

It will help us to develop new areas of ocean economy and, at the same time, follow more sustainable practices in using our blue assets.

Over the past few years, we have discussed revision of our Double Taxation Avoidance Convention. This is based on our shared objective of preventing abuse of the Convention, while enabling Mauritius to benefit fully from this arrangement. We have agreed to continue this discussion.

However, I have assured Prime Minister that we will do nothing to harm this critical sector of one of our strongest strategic partners in the world.

I also conveyed our deep appreciation for the support and cooperation offered by Mauritius on information exchange on taxation.

We should resume our discussions on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Prime Minister and I consider our security cooperation to be a cornerstone of our strategic partnership.

This is not only because of our responsibility to each other, but also because of our shared vision for our maritime neighbourhood.

I reiterated India's commitment to cooperate with Mauritius in its efforts to secure its vast Exclusive Economic Zone.

684-14 PM Modi media statement  after delegation level talks (1)

We are also honoured to be the preferred partner for Mauritius in developing its security capabilities. Tomorrow, we will commission Barracuda into the service of the Coast Guard of Mauritius.

I assured Prime Minister of timely support in all areas, including delivery of other ships and equipment that Mauritius has ordered from India.

We agreed that broaderregional cooperation will enhance peace and prosperity in our maritime region.

In this context, I thanked Prime Minister for the leadership shown by Mauritius in the Indian Ocean Rim Association and for hosting its Secretariat.

We are grateful for the support  Mauritius has always given us in international forums. It gives India strength to speak on issues of common interests.

The adoption of June 21 as International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly by record sponsorship in record time is a tribute to our shared heritage.

We had strong meeting of minds on climate change. We are both committed to strong national action. We will also strengthen our bilateral cooperation and global partnershipon addressing its challenges.

People-to-people contacts constitute the very foundation of our relationship.

We will continue to nurture it with highest level of priority. For Mauritius, we have decided to waive the fee or the Electronic Travel Authorisation.

We have also decided to launch a multi-disciplinary youth forum. This will connect our youth more; and, it will sow the seeds of strong partnerships in the future.

I am really grateful to Prime Minister Sir Jugnauth and his team for very productive and substantive meeting.

I am excited about the National Day celebrations, the privilege of speaking to the National Assembly and other very special events tomorrow.

To me, more than anything else, they reflect the richness of our relationship.

Once again, thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.

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Your Excellency, My best friend President Lula,
Delegates from both countries,
Friends from the media

Namaskar
"Boa Tarde”!

I sincerely thank my friend, President Lula, for the warm welcome in Rio and Brasilia. We are truly touched by the beauty of the Amazon and your kindness.

Today, being honoured with the Brazil's highest national award by the President of Brazil is a moment of great pride and emotion not just for me, but for 140 crore Indians. I sincerely thank the President, the Brazilian government, and the people of Brazil for this honour.

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Friends,

My friend President Lula is the Chief Architect of the Strategic Partnership between India and Brazil. He has played a significant role in deepening our relations.

Every meeting with him has inspired me to work harder for the progress and well-being of both our nations. I dedicate this honour to his strong commitment to India and to our enduring friendship.

Friends,

In today’s discussions, we agreed to strengthen cooperation across all sectors. We have set a goal to raise bilateral trade to 20 billion dollars over the next five years.

Football is Brazil’s passion, just as cricket is loved by the people of India. Whether it's sending the ball past the boundary or into the goal, when both are on the same team, a 20 billion dollar partnership is not difficult to achieve. Together, we will also work on expanding the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA)

Friends,

Our cooperation in the energy sector continues to grow steadily. Both our countries place a high priority on the environment and clean energy. The agreement signed today to enhance collaboration in this sector will provide fresh direction and momentum to our green goals. I extend my best wishes to President Lula for the upcoming COP-30 Summit being hosted in Brazil later this year.

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Friends,

Our growing cooperation in the field of defence reflects the deep mutual trust between our two countries. We will continue our efforts to connect our defence industries and strengthen this partnership further.

Our collaboration in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Supercomputers is expanding. This reflects our shared vision for inclusive development and human-centric innovation.

Both sides are also working together on the adoption of UPI in Brazil. We would be glad to share India’s successful experience with Brazil in areas such as Digital Public Infrastructure and Space.

Our cooperation in the fields of agriculture and animal husbandry spans several decades. We are now working together in areas such as agricultural research and food processing as well. In the health sector too, we are enhancing our win-win collaboration. We have also emphasized the expansion of Ayurveda and traditional medicine in Brazil.

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Friends,

People-to-People ties are a vital pillar of our relationship. Our shared passion for sports in both countries also serves as a strong bond connecting us.

We wish for India–Brazil relations to be as vibrant as Carnival, as passionate as football, and as heart-connecting as Samba — all without the long visa counter queues! With this spirit, we will work together to ease people-to-people exchanges between our two nations, especially for tourists, students, sportspersons, and businessmen.

Friends,

At the global level, India and Brazil have always worked in close coordination. As two major democracies, our cooperation is not only relevant to the Global South, but also to all of humanity. We firmly believe that it is our moral responsibility to bring the concerns and priorities of the Global South to the forefront of the global stage.

Today, as the world goes through a period of tension and uncertainty … my friend has already elaborated on this in detail so I will not repeat it … India–Brazil partnership stands as an important pillar of stability and balance. We are in full agreement that all disputes must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

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We share a common approach in the fight against terrorism — zero tolerance and zero double standards. We firmly believe that there is no place for double standards when it comes to terrorism. We strongly oppose both terrorism and those who support it.

Excellency,

Once again, on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you for this highest national honour and for your enduring friendship. I also take this opportunity to invite you to visit India.

Thank you.

"Muito obrigado!"