India and Mauritius are natural partners in the maritime domain to deal with traditional and non-traditional challenges in the Indian Ocean region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday after virtually inaugurating a number of New Delhi-assisted development projects in the island nation.
The prime minister also announced that Mauritius will be the first country to join India’s Jan Aushadhi scheme, an initiative rolled out to provide quality medicines at affordable prices.
At a virtual ceremony, Modi and his Mauritian prime minister counterpart Pravind Jugnauth inaugurated several community development projects at the Agalega Island in Mauritius that were implemented with India’s financial assistance.
The projects included an airstrip and a jetty.
In his brief address at the event, Modi described Mauritius as an important partner under India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, noting that the two countries achieved “new heights” in mutual cooperation in the last few years.
He also referred to various challenges in the Indian Ocean region.
“Various traditional and non-traditional challenges are emerging in the Indian Ocean region. These challenges impact our economic systems. India and Mauritius are natural partners in the maritime domain to deal with these challenges,” the prime minister said.