PM Modi invites Mauritius counterpart Anerood Jugnauth to attend third India-Africa Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended invitation to his Mauritius counterpart, Anerood Jugnauth to attend the third India-Africa Summit to be held in New Delhi from 26 October 2015.

Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, called on the Mauritius Prime Minister on July 3 and extended the invitation on behalf of the Prime Minister Modi.

He also met Etienne Sinatambou, Foreign Minister of Mauritius and extended the invitation for the Summit. The Foreign Minister expressed his desire to utilize the Indian expertise to conduct skill gap analysis for Mauritius and explore potential partnership in the BPO industry.

Rudy, in his meeting with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, highlighted the importance of the summit in strengthening cooperation between India and Africa and emphasized on the historical and cultural bond that is shared by India and Mauritius. He recalled the association that dates back to 1820s when the Indian workers started coming to Mauritius to work on Sugarcane Plantations. The relations got further deepened since the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius in 1948.

He also called on Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of Mauritius during his visit to the country. He discussed the economic and cultural ties with the President and conveyed the focus of PM Modi's government on enhancing diplomatic relations with Mauritius.

The India-Africa Summit to be held during five days will be attended by leaders of some 54 States of the region and some 1000 delegates including heads of government, ministers, government officials, business leaders and others.

The Third India-Africa Summit would be the largest gathering of foreign leaders in India since the Non Aligned Summit in 1983 and the Commonwealth Summit the same year. The first India-Africa Forum Summit was held in April 2008 in New Delhi, with 14 countries attending it. The second summit was held at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 15 African countries. India Africa Summit is the official platform for the Indian - African relations and focuses on diversified sectors such as Agriculture, Trade, Industry and Investments, Security, Governance and Information Technology.