Mauritius is a staunch advocate of participatory diplomacy and remains committed to expanding its diplomatic relations at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.
This was the gist of the address of the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, during the annual lunch in honour of Diplomatic Corps held, yesterday, at Le Suffren Hotel and Marina, in Port Louis.
According to the Minister, members of the Diplomatic Corps play an essential role in maintaining bilateral relationships between the Republic of Mauritius and other countries. He recalled that as a small island nation, Mauritius faced several hardships to source supplies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this score, he reiterated his gratitude for all bilateral cooperation and donations received from various countries as well as through organisations such as the World Health Organization since the outbreak of the pandemic, as well as for the assistance received in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for Mauritians.
Furthermore, Mr Ganoo dwelt on the various projects being implemented by the Government to boost the economy of the country. These include: a pharmaceutical industry as a fresh pillar of the economy, with a seed capital of MUR 1 billion to be injected into the economy; and procedures undertaken by the Government to prepare for the return of visitors to Mauritius.
The Minister also enumerated on the four major trade agreements recently signed by Mauritius, namely the Free Trade Agreement with China, the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement with India, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and, the Economic Partnership Agreement with the UK that would expand the preferential market access. He also spoke of the efforts made by Mauritius to get out of the Financial Action Task Force grey list and the EU black list.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also announced the participation of Mauritius in the Dubai Expo 2020 which will be held from 01 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. The Expo would provide a platform for the country to promote the different sectors of the economy.
