India, Mauritius to strengthen cooperation in various areas

New Delhi, Dec 19 (UNI) India and Mauritius have agreed to deepen bilateral economic cooperation by encouraging their respective private sectors to explore, develop and implement joint projects or activities relating to trade and investment.

These include areas of mutual interest like bio-fuel, agro-industry and Bio-technology, Pharmaceuticals, Fisheries, Textile and Fashion, Banking and Finance, Mining and Mineral and Infrastructure.

At their 10th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Port Louis yesterday, the two countries also noted the importance of reinforcing cooperation in combating international terrorism and related matters.

The JCM was co-chaired yesterday by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Mauritian counterpart.

An External Affairs Ministry spokesman said here today that both sides had agreed to carry forward the ongoing cooperation in the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon in the Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

It was agreed to develop Mauritius as a services centre and seize the opportunities that the globalised world offers to both countries.

For developing Mauritius into a knowledge hub, the Mauritian side expressed interest to attract Indian Universities to set up offshore campuses in Mauritius and use Indian expertise to design and deliver courses in areas supportive of regional integration.

The Indian side informed Mauritius of the plan to operationalise the 'Pan African e-network-in March 2008.

Mauritius' request for co-terminal rights for Air Mauritius to operate on the Mauritius- Bangalore-Chennai sectors on a provisional basis has been granted.

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