India’s strategic sea legs in the Indian Ocean got a major boost on Wednesday when Prime Minister Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, jointly and virtually inaugurated a new airstrip and the St James Jetty on Agalega Island.
- Agalega lies north of Mauritius, over 1000 km from the main island
- From here the Indian Navy will be able to monitor all maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean
- That includes the movement of Chinese naval vessels from their base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa
- Also the tension-ridden Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea given the civil war in Yemen and the attacks by Houthi rebels on civilian shipping
India and Mauritius had signed an agreement in 2015 for the development of Agalega and reports suggest nearly $90 million has been spent on various infrastructure works over the years. But the issue is sensitive and there were protests some years ago in the Mauritian National Assembly when Jugnauth was asked to clarify if the island was being developed as a military base.
“Agalega is and will remain a Mauritian territory,” Vice-Prime Minister Fazila Jeewa Daureeawoo had told the Assembly at the time.
India has faced resistance in the past from its Indian Ocean neighbours who have accused New Delhi of seeking to place military assets in their countries. In the Maldives, President Mohamed Muizzu has asked all Indian military personnel to leave the country by May 10.
Earlier in 2018, protests broke out on Seychelles’ Assumption Island over a 20-year agreement signed with India that would allow the construction of military infrastructure on the island. The agreement had to be scrapped.
Delhi’s response has been to step up its diplomatic engagement with some of its neighbours. Recently, Rupay card services were launched in Sri Lanka and Mauritius. Indian nationals will now be able to settle payments through Indian rupees in these countries. Likewise, Lankan and Mauritian nationals can also pay for Indian goods and services through UPI.
“Today is a special day for the three friendly countries of the Indian Ocean Region as we are linking our historic ties with modern digital technology,” the prime minister had said at the launch. “I believe that Sri Lanka and Mauritius will benefit from the UPI system.”
Modi had also met Jugnauth on the sidelines of the G-20 in Delhi last September 20, where he had tweeted on X. “PM @KumarJugnauth and I had a very good meeting. This is a special year for India-Mauritius relations as we mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between our nations. We discussed cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, FinTech, culture and more. Also reiterated India’s commitment to furthering the voice of the Global South.”
India is among Mauritius’ leading business partners with bilateral trade registering $554.19 million in 2022-23. Indian companies have invested over $200 mn in the last five years. On April 1, 2021 External Affairs Minister Jaishankar signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement which was India’s first trade agreement with an African country. He also announced a $100 million Defence Line of Credit for Mauritius.
