Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said the partnership between India and Mauritius is destined to soar higher in future. He was inaugurating the Supreme Court building of Mauritius with his counterpart Pravind K Jugnauth via a video conference.
The virtual inauguration took place in the presence of senior members of judiciary from Mauritius and other dignitaries from both the countries.
“Our partnership is destined to soar even higher in the coming years,” the prime minister said after the inauguration of the building.
Modi added the inauguration was yet another symbol of special friendship between the two countries.” The new Supreme Court Building in Port Louis is a symbol of our co-operation and our shared values,” he said.
“Both India and Mauritius respect our independent judiciaries as important pillars of our democratic systems and this impressive new building, with its modern design and construction, is a mark of respect.
“We had jointly inaugurated the landmark Metro project and a new state-of-the-art hospital a few months back. I am happy to know that both these projects are proving useful for the people of Mauritius.
“It was in Mauritius that I had first spoken about India’s vision of SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region’.This is because Mauritius is at the heart of India’s approach to the Indian Ocean region,” Modi said.
“History has taught us that in the name of development partnerships, nations were forced into dependence partnerships and that it gave rise to colonial rule and rise to global power blocks. India is making development partnerships that are marked by respect, diversity, care for the future and sustainable development,” the premier said.
For India, Modi said, “the most fundamental principle in development co-operation is respecting our partners.”
“This sharing of development lessons is our only motivation. That is why our development co-operation does not come with any conditions,” the prime minister added.
He said India’s development partnerships are diverse from commerce to culture, energy to engineering, health to housing, IT to infrastructure, and sports to science and that India is working with nations across the globe.
The prime minister said if India is honoured to help in the Parliament building in Afghanistan, it is also proud to be associated in the making of the Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger.
“India is not only proud of helping you, we consider it our privilege to help you create a better future for your youth, your next generation. That is why, training and skilling is such an important part of our development cooperation.”
He said the future was about sustainable development.”Human needs and aspirations cannot be in conflict with our natural surroundings. That is why, we believe in both human empowerment and care for the environment.”
Based on this philosophy, Modi said, India had made efforts to nurture new institutions like the International Solar Alliance.
“Let the rays of the sun brighten the journey of human progress. We are also working on a strong coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure,” Modi said.
The Supreme Court building has been constructed with Indian grant assistance and will be the first India-assisted infrastructure project to be inaugurated within the capital city of Port Louis after the Covid-19.