Mauritius: The 13th Indo-Mauritian Joint Committee Meeting on Hydrography opened this morning at Gold Crest Hotel in Quatre-Bornes. This meeting was held under the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Hydrography between the Government of the Republic of Mauritius and the Government of the Republic of India for development and cooperation in hydrography.
The Senior Chief Executive (SCE) of the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning and Ministry of Tourism, Mohammad Salim Ferhat Joomun; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning, Mohammad Shamad Ayoob Saab; the Deputy High Commissioner of the Republic of India, Vimarsh Aryan; the Joint Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India, Rear Admiral Lochan Singh Pathania; and other personalities were present.
In his address, SCE Joomun highlighted the close diplomatic and cultural ties India and Mauritius share, besides sharing the waters of the Indian Ocean and its vast resources. “Another major step in this relationship was taken in the year 2005 when an MoU was signed between us in the field of hydrography,” he pointed out.
Joomun underscored Hydrography has a wide-ranging perspective in Mauritius, considering our geo-strategic location in the Indian Ocean and our large Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“The MoU, which was initially signed for five years, has been subsequently extended on several occasions, and, in October 2020, it was extended for a further five years,” he stated.
Furthermore, the SCE indicated that another landmark achievement enhancing coordination in hydrography between the two Governments is the signing of the Protocol on the sale of Navigational Products in October 2022.
As regards the Mauritius Hydrographic Service (MHS), he remarked that the support of the Government of India in deploying Officers to support the function of the MHS has been of immense help in achieving the hydrographic requirements of the country.
On this note, he thanked the Government of India for providing technical and training assistance in this field, adding that during this three-day meeting, consultations for further aid from the Indian Government for provision of expertise and capacity building to reinforce the hydrographic structure will be discussed.
For his part, the Deputy High Commissioner of India underlined that this Indo-Mauritian collaboration is very important as Mauritius is a key partner in the Indian Ocean region for India. “India is always by the side of Mauritius as a strategic diplomatic and economic partner, and this relationship will continuously be nurtured through many other collaborations,” he said.
Furthermore, Aryan stressed that our growing partnership was further demonstrated when India took over the G20 Presidency for the first time in history and honoured this friendship by inviting Mauritius as a special guest country to the G20.
Speaking about cooperation in marine security and hydrography between Mauritius and India, the Deputy High Commissioner dwelt over India’s support in setting up the MHS and the capacity-building initiatives provided to Mauritian officials to uphold that endeavour.
As for the Permanent Secretary, he emphasised the importance of hydrography, which is at the heart of all oceanic activities and crucial for sea safety. “Much has been achieved through this collaboration between our two countries, and the deliverables have benefited many organisations and departments whether at national, regional, or international levels,” Ayoob Saab pointed out.
For his part, Rear Admiral Pathania stressed that knowledge and data as regards hydrography are essential to be able to progress with any ocean-related activity and added that hydrography is, therefore, more important for Mauritius, which has an EEZ almost 1100 times larger than its land area.
He expressed confidence that this meeting will help discuss certain significant aspects of the mutual cooperation between the two countries for more than 17 years. He reiterated that the Government of India will continue to assist Mauritius in capacity building towards sustainable development.
About the MHS
To develop hydrographic infrastructure and expertise, the MHS was set up by the Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning in 2013. The Unit is responsible for: providing credible hydrographic services in Mauritius for efficient and safe maritime transport, management of coastal zone, exploration and exploitation of marine resources, tourism, environmental protection and scientific research.