President Murmu to be 6th Indian president to attend Mauritius National Day as chief guest

Indian President Droupadi Murmu will be presiding as a chief guest at the National Day of Mauritius on her three-day state visit to the East African country highlighting the significant long-standing friendship between the two nations.

President Murmu is the sixth Indian President to grace the Mauritian National Day as the Chief Guest since 2000. Her State Visit highlights the longstanding and enduring ties between India and Mauritius.

“It reaffirms the continued commitment of both countries to further strengthening the bilateral relationship across all sectors and deepening our close people-to-people ties,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement earlier.

During the visit, President Murmu along with Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, will jointly inaugurate 14 India-assisted projects, said the MEA.

Murmu is also set to attend the National Day celebrations of Mauritius on March 12 as the chief guest, on the invitation of the government of Mauritius. A contingent of the Indian Navy will participate in the celebrations along with two ships of the Indian Navy's First Training Squadron - INS Tir and CGS Sarathi, the MEA release said.

On Monday, President Murmu met her Mauritian counterpart Prithvirajsing Roopun and held detailed discussions on ways to advance the long-standing and multi-faceted bilateral ties between India and Mauritius.

President Murmu also gifted a RuPay card, which was recently launched in Mauritius, to President Roopun.
"The two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen the unique and multi-faceted bilateral relationship, including through capacity building, science & technology, and collaboration in various developmental projects," said a post by the official handle of the President of India with a few photographs of the meeting.

President Murmu was received by Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on her arrival here at the airport on Monday, with full state honors "in a special gesture reflecting the exceptionally close ties" between India and Mauritius, the MEA earlier said.