India, Mauritius agree to develop and monitor Chagos Marine Protected Area

India has unveiled a special economic package for Mauritius, featuring a significant strategic element that includes preliminary agreements for redeveloping the Port Louis harbour and for developing and monitoring the Chagos Marine Protected Area — a vast region in the Indian Ocean that hosts the US-UK Diego Garcia military base. The announcement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral meeting with Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam in Varanasi. Both nations also signed several agreements aimed at boosting Mauritius’s infrastructure and healthcare, strengthening maritime security, and enhancing defence cooperation, while enabling India to deepen its presence in the Indian Ocean region.

Focus on Chagos Islands near Diego Garcia

The agreements came alongside India’s reaffirmation of Mauritius’ sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, located close to Diego Garcia, a critical UK-US military base. The Chagos treaty signed earlier this year recognised Port Louis’ sovereignty while allowing London to retain Diego Garcia for defence use.

Calling the deal a “historic milestone,” Modi said India had always supported decolonisation and stood firmly with Mauritius on its sovereignty claims. “India has always supported decolonization, and the full recognition of Mauritius’ sovereignty. India has always stood firmly with Mauritius in this journey,” he said.

Mauritius seeks symbolic role for India

Ramgoolam thanked India for its support and said his government wanted to mark the moment with India’s involvement. “We want to visit the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, to plant our flag. The British offered us a vessel, but we said we preferred one from India because, symbolically, it would be more meaningful,” he said.

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri added that Mauritius now has greater responsibilities in its expanded Exclusive Economic Zone. “It has many more responsibilities now. It needs maritime resources, and to be able to fully develop and exploit those resources, it will need assistance, and India is a preferred partner in providing that assistance,” Misri said.

$680 million package for development and security

India announced a $680 million package for Mauritius, which includes $25 million in budgetary aid and projects under grant and credit-linked formats. Key initiatives include redevelopment of Port Louis harbour, development of the Chagos Marine Protected Area, an ATC tower at the international airport, and highway and ring road expansion.

“This package is not assistance. It is an investment in our shared future,” Modi said, emphasising that Mauritius was not just a partner but family for India.

Maritime cooperation and defence

India and Mauritius also signed an agreement on hydrography to conduct joint surveys, prepare navigation charts and share hydrographic data of the Mauritius EEZ. Modi said India remained committed to enhancing maritime security and capacity of Mauritius.

India is refitting a Mauritius Coast Guard ship and training its officers as part of its support. Modi underlined that a free, open, and secure Indian Ocean was a shared priority for both nations.

The new agreements mark a deepening of the strategic partnership between New Delhi and Port Louis. Modi said Mauritius was central to India’s Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR. The two countries had upgraded their ties to an enhanced strategic partnership earlier this year during Modi’s visit to Mauritius.

Why Diego Garcia matters

• Location: Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean, strategically located between East Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
  
  
• Military importance: It hosts a joint UK-US military base that supports naval, air, and surveillance operations. The base is considered critical for operations in West Asia, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific.
  
  
• Global security role: Diego Garcia has been used for US operations in the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and continues to play a role in monitoring sea lanes in the Indian Ocean.
  
  
• Mauritius sovereignty: While the UK retains Diego Garcia, the rest of the Chagos Islands have been recognised as belonging to Mauritius under a recent treaty. India backed Mauritius in this process.

(Inputs from TOI)