“Mauritius is like ‘Mini India.’” “For us, Mauritius is family!” These statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mauritius on the 11th-12th of March, 2025, signaled the deepening bond between India and Mauritius. This visit also marked ten years since his first visit to Mauritius in 2015, when Modi stressed the geostrategic importance of the Indian Ocean, which he described as ‘our common maritime home.’ Rooted in common “history, heritage, and the human spirit,” India and Mauritius do enjoy a very friendly relationship, both being vital stakeholders as far as the Indian Ocean is concerned.
The trajectory of India-Mauritius relations:
India has an impressive position in the Indian Ocean, and this has mostly determined its maritime policies thanks to its archetypal maritime character and vital geostrategic location. Indian maritime aspirations in the Indian Ocean may be identified as seeking supremacy and leadership in Indian Ocean affairs. Islands have always played an important role in maritime strategy, but their significance has been undervalued in the diplomatic circles of India until recent times. In this article, we will particularly focus on the one littoral country of the region, viz., Mauritius, with which India has enjoyed a strong and secure relationship throughout several years. The changing geopolitical environment, China’s increasing forays into the Indian Ocean, and the Indo-French bonhomie facilitated India’s activism in the littoral countries of the South-West Indian Ocean, especially Mauritius. As Beijing continues to expand its presence across the maritime domain, India has reshaped its maritime strategies to secure its national interests, more so in the Indian Ocean Region. As with any other maritime space, the islands of the South-West Indian Ocean region have a significant influence in shaping the new security architecture in the region.
Mauritius, strategically located in the western Indian Ocean, is home to a significant population who are of Indian origin, accounting for almost 70% of the island’s 1.2 million residents. This demographic connection has fostered a special bond between the two countries. Interestingly, Mauritius’ National Day on March 12 has an Indian connection as well. While traveling from South Africa to India in 1901, Mahatma Gandhi briefly stopped at the island. During his visit, Gandhi delivered three transformative messages to Indian workers: emphasizing education, political empowerment, and maintaining ties with India. Hence, as a tribute to Gandhi, Mauritius holds its National Day on the date of the Dandi march. Mauritius is also of strategic significance because it is located along key sea lanes of communication (SLOCs). It facilitates a navy’s ceaseless presence along key international shipping routes, allowing the navy to patrol and secure SLOCs during times of peace and an option to prohibit and cut off an adversary’s communications during times of conflict. Mauritius’ strategic importance to India is reflected in India’s attempt since its independence to be a maritime security provider throughout the southwest IOR (Indian Ocean Region). India has been successful in maintaining this relationship with Mauritius. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to Mauritius is evidence of the fact that the Mauritian government counts on India as a prime security provider besides being Comprehensive Strategic Partners. Mr. Modi has been conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, the island nation’s highest civilian honor.
Defense and maritime security cooperation remains an important pillar of bilateral relations, and close cooperation in this domain has achieved a strategic dimension and benefited both countries immensely. Mauritius and India have a shared commitment to ensure a free, open, safe, and secure Indian Ocean Region. India has also supported Mauritius in protecting its vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) through the provisioning of defense and maritime assets, regular deployment of ships and aircraft, conducting joint maritime surveillance, hydrographic surveys and patrolling, bilateral exercises, and information sharing and training support, thereby emerging as a significant security provider for Mauritius.
The Prime Minister of Mauritius further thanked India (during Modi’s recent state visit to Mauritius) for its continued assistance towards the refit of Coast Guard Ships Victory, Valiant, and Barracuda on a grant basis. The Prime Minister of India noted that Mauritius is a special maritime partner for India and is an important partner under India’s Vision SAGAR. That Mauritius was chosen to enunciate such an important policy brings out the geostrategic importance the island nation holds for India. Given our shared objectives in the region, the Prime Minister of India reiterated India’s continued support and assistance to Mauritius in augmenting its defense and security needs.
Way ahead:
Reiterating their mutual desire to counter growing threats and challenges in the region, the leaders resolved to continue cooperation on provisioning of defense and maritime assets and equipment, as per the needs and requirements of Mauritius; enhance maritime cooperation through increased deployment of ships and aircraft for joint maritime surveillance and hydrographic surveys; Deepen cooperation towards securing the EEZ of Mauritius, including through enhanced utilization of the newly built runway and jetty at Agalega; Assist in the setting up of the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre to enhance maritime domain awareness; Cooperate by providing expertise in the fields of marine operations and marine engineering, port safety environment, port emergency, and port security to the Mauritius Port Authority; and conduct customized training programs and capacity-building initiatives to meet the growing needs of the Mauritius Police Force.
It is also vital to note the crucial defense ties that India and Mauritius share. For a country that is closer to the African mainland than to India to have such close defense ties to India as opposed to regional powers such as South Africa or even Tanzania is, at first glance, somewhat surprising. The most startling, yet understated, aspect of India-Mauritius defense cooperation is the fact that several elements of the Mauritian security establishment are commanded by Indian military officers on attachment to the MPF (Mauritius National Police Force).
Conclusion:
The naval relationship between Mauritius and India is symbolic. India gets a reliable partner in Mauritius, and Mauritius benefits from being able to draw on the experience of professional Indian Navy and Air Force officers as well as being able to utilize the benefit of naval vessels being produced at Indian shipyards at competitive prices and attractive financing packages. In addition, through its relationship with India, Mauritius has been able to avoid having to create dedicated military forces, maintaining very modest paramilitary capabilities relative to its neighbors. Thus, throughout the years, a mutually beneficial partnership has evolved over the decades, with the NCG (Mauritian National Coast Guard) and India being inextricably intertwined. It is to the credit of both countries that this relationship has lasted and thrived and continues to grow stronger without undue fanfare or hype and without, thus far, any tangible problems.
