Mauritius deepens India's naval reach

On February 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart, Pravind Jugnauth, jointly inaugurated a new airstrip and jetty on the Mauritian archipelago of Agalega, thereby underlining India's role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.

- HARSH V PANT & SAMIR BHATTACHARYA

This infrastructure development project, along with six more India-assisted development projects in Mauritius, is part of the Modi administration's Security and Growth for All (Sagar) policy. The policy aims to deepen India's economic and security cooperation with maritime partners, further helping them in improving their maritime security capabilities. The new infrastructure will also bolster India's image as a maritime power and enhance its presence in the Indian Ocean Region.

Located 1,100 kilometres north of the main island of Mauritius, the archipelago of Agaléga consists of two islands. Surrounded by the Seychelles to the north, the Maldives, the US base Diego Garcia and Chagos Island to the east, and Madagascar, the Mozambique Channel, and the entire eastern coast of Africa to the west, its strategic location makes it vulnerable to terrorism, piracy and the illegal narcotics trade. Furthermore, recent years have seen massive deployment of foreign vessels in the region, particularly warships from China.