Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugrated the newly built Supreme Court building of Mauritius on July 30 through video conferencing.
Senior members of Judiciary from Mauritius and other dignitaries from both the countries graced the occasion.
The building was constructed with Indian grant assistance and is the first India-assisted infrastructure project in the capital city Port Louis in the island nation. The Supreme Court building stands as a feather in the cap in India-Mauritius relations.
The Supreme Court building is one of the five projects being implemented under the Special Economic Package of $353 million that was extended by Government of India to Mauritius in 2016. The project was completed within schedule and below the budgeted cost.
Addressing the occasion through video conferencing, Prime Minister Modi congratulated the people and the Government of Mauritius for getting the new Supreme Court building and also for effectively containing the pandemic in their country. He said that he was happy that India could extend support through timely supply of medicines and experience sharing.
Prime Minister Modi said that both India and Mauritius respect the independent judiciaries as important pillars of our democratic systems. He said that the new building, with its modern design and construction, stands as a mark of this respect.
Prime Minister Modi also said “It was in Mauritius that I had first spoken about India’s vision of ‘SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region’. This is because Mauritius is at the heart of India’s approach to the Indian Ocean region.”
In an indirect reference to China, Prime Minister Modi said that “For India, the most fundamental principle in development cooperation is respecting our partners. This sharing of development lessons is our only motivation. That is why our development cooperation does not come with any conditions.”
He also referred to the instances when India partnered in Afghanistan and Niger to build the new Parliament building and the Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in the respective countries.
Speaking on the occasion, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for demonstrating once again that Mauritius is very close to his heart. “I seize this opportunity to convey our solidarity to you, government & people of India in these trying times.” PM Jugnauth said.
“We invested in new Supreme Court… our priorities are guided by fundamental mission of establishing justice. Modiji, we know you uphold same values…you emphasisied that your govt’s actions embody ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas'”, PM Jugnauth added.
Source: AIR, ANI