Why in News?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Mauritius from March 11-12, 2025, where he will be the chief guest at the country’s national day celebrations.

Amid this visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reaffirmed India’s support for Mauritius’ claims over Chagos Archipelago, emphasizing India’s commitment to decolonization.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• The Chagos Archipelago
• Negotiations Over the Chagos Archipelago’s Sovereignty
• India-Mauritius Relations - A Brief Overview
• Significance of Indian PM’s Visit to Mauritius
• Conclusion

The Chagos Archipelago

• It is a group of seven atolls comprising over 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives archipelago.
• This chain of islands is the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean.
• From 1715 to 1810, the Chagos Islands were part of France's Indian Ocean possessions. Under the Treaty of Paris (1814), France ceded the Islands to the United Kingdom.
• Mauritius became the British Empire's main sugar-producing colony and remained a primarily sugar-dominated plantation-based colony until independence (in 1968).
• In 1965, three years before Mauritius became independent, the UK split off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritian territory, to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
• Diego Garcia - the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago, has been used as a joint UK–U.S. military base since the 1970s.

Negotiations Over the Chagos Archipelago’s Sovereignty

• The UK and Mauritius have been engaged in prolonged negotiations over the archipelago’s sovereignty.
• The UK and the US have reached a political agreement to retain a strategic military base on Diego Garcia while restoring Mauritius' sovereignty over the rest of Chagos.
• On October 3, 2024, the UK announced that a treaty was being formalized to solidify the agreement. 

India-Mauritius Relations - A Brief Overview:

• India has close and long-standing relations with Mauritius, anchored in shared history, demography and culture.
• A key reason for the special ties is the fact that Indian origin people comprise nearly 70% of the island’s population of 1.2 million.
• Mauritius was one of the handful of important countries with which independent India established diplomatic relations in 1948, even before the independence of Mauritius.
• Both shares uniquely close cooperation in maritime security, development partnership, capacity-building, cooperation in international fora, vibrant cultural exchanges, etc.
• India has traditionally been the ‘First Responder’ for Mauritius in times of crisis, including during the recent Covid-19 and Wakashio oil-spill crises.
• Cumulative FDI worth USD 175 billion has come from Mauritius to India since 2000 (25% of total FDI inflows into India), thanks largely to the bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC).
• Mauritius and India signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA). After coming into force (1 April 2021), this became the first trade agreement signed by India with an African country.

Significance of Indian PM’s Visit to Mauritius

• Foreign Secretary Misri described Mauritius as a close maritime partner of India.
• Indian Air Force contingents and an Indian Navy ship will participate in Mauritius' national day celebrations.
• This visit marks PM Modi’s return to Mauritius after his last visit in 2015.
• Several agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Conclusion

• PM Modi’s visit to Mauritius underscores India’s commitment to deepening strategic, economic, and diplomatic ties with the island nation.
• The Chagos issue remains a critical aspect of India’s foreign policy, reflecting its broader stance on decolonization and regional stability.