Mauritius: The Mauritian delegation comprising ten young people and two officers of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, who have been selected to participate in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Republic Day Camp 2023 in New Delhi, India, were presented yesterday, during a ceremony held at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex.
The NCC Republic Day Camp, a Youth Exchange Programme, is being organised by the High Commission of India in Mauritius in the context of the 75th-anniversary celebrations of the Independence of India.
The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, and the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint, thus met the delegation yesterday in Côte d’Or.
In his address, the Foreign Minister underlined that the NCC Republic Day Camp 2023 would provide the young participants with the exclusive opportunity to learn about India and showcase our rich Mauritian culture.
He added that they would also be given a platform to network and interact with youths from other countries, which, he emphasised, will enable them to acquire rich experiences that will undoubtedly contribute to their personal development.
The Minister recalled that this event is also part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius, which he added highlights the two countries’ high-standing relations. Our two countries are bound by ties which go much beyond diplomatic and formal areas, underlined Mr Ganoo.
The unwavering support of India to Mauritius in its developmental pathways and its instrumental support in recent major infrastructural projects, including the Metro Express, was also underpinned by the Minister. He expressed gratitude to the Government of India for supporting Mauritius in its endeavours to spearhead progress and thus for its contribution to positively changing the lives of all Mauritians.
Furthermore, Minister Alan Ganoo pointed out that Mauritius was invited by the Indian Government to participate in the G20 summit as a guest country, which according to him, is a unique opportunity to make the voice of the country heard as well as that of the Small Island Developing States.
As for Minister Toussaint, he expressed gratitude to the Indian Government for the opportunity being extended to our youths to live this enriching experience, which he qualified as a youth empowerment programme.
He spoke about the strong collaboration between India and Mauritius as well as their long-existing friendship that enabled the holding of this Youth Exchange Programme.
The Sports Minister encouraged the Mauritian participants to make the most of the unique opportunity to meet and network with other youths and engage in life-changing activities. Mr Toussaint also added that he looks forward to welcoming the participants from India, whom he assured, will be given the same opportunity to have enriching experiences.