External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid tribute to the friendship between India and Mauritius on Sunday, adding that the bond shared by the two countries was due to a shared historical and cultural heritage during her three-day visit to that nation.
"India and Mauritius enjoy a unique and truly exceptional bond of friendship, anchored in a shared historical and cultural heritage. The Mauritian and Indian struggles for independence fed inspiration and energy into each other," Swaraj said, speaking on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of the Aapravasi Diwas, which marks the date when the first Indians arrived in Mauritius to work as indentured labourers.
"For India, the success of Mauritius embodies the triumph of the principles that are so precious to India: democracy, rule of law, tolerance, social harmony and human enterprise. India has always been, and will always be, a steadfast friend and partner of Mauritius," she added.
Swaraj further said that Mahatma Gandhi too had a history in Mauritius - he made a brief stop at the island while returning to India from South Africa.
"When the SS Nowsheramade a brief stopover in Mauritius in 1901 on its way to India from South Africa, one of the passengers onboard was an extraordinary young visionary barrister - the young Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi," she said.
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"Gandhi ji became acutely aware of the deplorable condition of a vast majority of the immigrants, especially that of the indentured labourers who had no civil and political rights under the colonial administration.
This brief stopover by the man who went on to become the Mahatma and Father of the Indian Nation, set in motion a process of cultural, social and political emancipation that was carried forward by Mauritius's very own architects of freedom. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the Father of the Mauritian nation, stood tall among them," she added.
India is Mauritius' largest trading partner and has been the largest exporter of goods to Mauritius since 2007. In the financial year 2012-2013, India exported goods worth USD 1.31 billion and imported goods worth USD 28.49 million. There are over 10,000 Indian nationals living in Mauritius, including 6865 work permit holders and 696 professional occupation permit holders.
