PM Modi receives Mauritius' highest honour

India Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with Mauritius' highest civilian honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, during his two-day visit.

Transcript

00:00Live visuals coming in from Port Louis in Mauritius where Prime Minister Narendra Modi

00:08presently is.

00:09He is on a two-day visit.

00:11You are looking at the National Day celebrations and despite the downpour, clearly there is

00:17a massive congregation of people from Mauritius.

00:21Look at that.

00:22Clearly a heavy downpour that has not stopped the event right now from proceeding.

00:28All smiles.

00:29Prime Minister Modi has been conferred with one of the highest honours right now in Mauritius.

00:35That's the badge, the medal you are looking at.

00:38Let's listen and dip into the sounds on the ground.

00:41Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of everyone present, I extend my

00:48sincere gratitude to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Mauritius.

00:52He's been conferred with the country's highest award.

00:55Mauritius is the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.

01:00All right, what a lovely visual there.

01:01Prime Minister Modi holding the hands.

01:02This is a collective film with the leadership of Mauritius.

01:03A strong Indian origin connect there.

01:04The newly elected Prime Minister has Indian origins.

01:05In fact, his father also was a Prime Minister of Mauritius.

01:16Look at these visuals on your screen.

01:18Our India has a vision, which is for the global south to become a united one entity.

01:25In the island nation, Prime Minister Modi has arrived.

01:29People all prepared, ready with umbrellas and the flag of Mauritius, but to also ensure

01:36their presence.

01:37Smiling PM Modi, who has been conferred with the highest honour right now, he's also announced

01:44in turn measures between Mauritius and India.

01:47Eight pacts have been signed.

01:50There's been an issuance of the OCI card as well, we are told, to the Mauritian Prime

01:54Minister and his spouse.

01:56It's the commitment to the diaspora.

01:58Remember Mauritius, of course, apart from their own ethnic population, has a massive

02:02Indian origin and Indian diaspora people.

02:05We are looking at strong bilateral relationship with Mauritius and at a time, remember, when

02:10China has been eyeing these island nations and not with best interests, India wants to

02:16send out a message that we are in this together.

02:20India Today Global's Shashank Mattu joins me for the latest on that.

02:24Shashank, a big honour coming in for Prime Minister Modi, one of the highest civilian

02:27honours.

02:28How are we looking at this relationship with the island nation, Shashank?

02:32Absolutely, it is a big honour.

02:35Prime Minister Modi is actually the first Indian recipient of this award, which is the

02:40Grand Commander of the Order and the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.

02:43It is Mauritius' highest civilian honour and it comes at an interesting time.

02:48Remember, this is a new government in Mauritius led by Prime Minister Ramakulam.

02:52He is, of course, bringing Prime Minister Modi there and has invited him to be already

02:57the Chief Guest at the National Day.

02:59So, it's really honour upon honour being keeped on the Prime Minister of India.

03:03Essentially, the idea, of course, is that they want to firm up the political relationship

03:08very, very closely.

03:09And again, this is an honour that is given, really, to very, very few people.

03:14Nelson Mandela, for example, has achieved it in the past.

03:17Only five foreign dignitaries have actually received this award.

03:20But the important thing to remember is the substance of what the Prime Minister is going

03:24to achieve there.

03:25He wants to push forward maritime security.

03:27Remember that Mauritius is an island nation, which is very, very strategically located.

03:31India is developing a military facility there in Agalega Island.

03:35That is something that is crucial to India's foreign policy and national security, especially

03:39given the rise of China in recent weeks, in recent months and years.

03:43So, that is something that is likely to continue.

03:46And if you have the rise of China, you also need a strong India-Mauritius partnership,

03:51which is what you're seeing on display during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Mauritius

03:54this time.

03:55Also remember, because there's, of course, apart from the strategic issues here, the

04:00fact that there's such a strong Indian diaspora there, Shashank.

04:04We're talking about thousands of even Indian origin individuals, including the Prime Minister

04:09himself.

04:10Some of them trace their generations to India.

04:12At least over five generations are associated with the country, settled there now in Mauritius.

04:17So, tell us how, of course, there's a strategic issue here.

04:20But there's a very clear people-to-people connect between India and Mauritius.

04:25Absolutely.

04:26And that relationship goes back decades.

04:29The independent movement in Mauritius 60-70 years ago was also inspired by the international

04:34movement.

04:35There were close political and cultural links between these leaders.

04:38The leaders of Mauritius have almost invariably in the past been of Indian descent.

04:42I'm thinking, of course, of Anirudh Jagnauth, as well as his son, Prateen Jagnauth, as well

04:49as the current leader, Prime Minister Dambhulam.

04:52So, that shared cultural heritage has really made a very, very high level of strategic

04:58trust between India and Mauritius possible to the extent that, and this is something

05:01we talk about often, the National Security Advisor of Mauritius, Dambhulam, is handling

05:05these key sensitive issues.

05:06He's actually an Indian officer.

05:08And that, I think, highlights the level of trust, both culturally and politically.

05:12Stay on with me, Shashank.

05:13Stay on with me.

05:14Such a massive downfall, but that hasn't deterred people.

05:17They're standing there, umbrellas in hand, and the shy colour of their country, to watch

05:23Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, receive the highest honour for Mauritius.

05:28Remember, Prime Minister Modi becomes the first Indian to receive Mauritius' highest

05:33civilian award.

05:34This is, I reiterate, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian

05:38Ocean.

05:39He becomes the first Indian recipient of these prestigious references.

05:43And if Prime Minister Modi is making a statement, look at that visual.

05:47That's the visual when the leadership of Mauritius conferred him with this highest

05:52honour, a badge, in many ways reflecting about the relationship between Mauritius, the island

05:59nation, and India.

06:01Mauritius Prime Minister Naveen Chandra Ramgoolam, who has Indian origin connections, recognising

06:07Indian PM's contributions to strengthen India-Mauritius relationship.

06:12If PM Modi starts to speak, we'll dip into that.

06:15But you can just hear the loud cheer.

06:17Look at that.

06:18People waving, cheering.

06:26Let's just listen in to what was said by the leaders of both Mauritius and India, realising

06:31that together, as this friendship between the two countries can push both nations ahead.

06:44Prime Minister, His Excellency Naveen Chandra Ramgoolamji, sisters and brothers of Mauritius,

06:58I express my heartfelt gratitude for being confirmed the highest national award of Mauritius.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended