India, Mauritius to sign agreements

India and Mauritius will hold wide-ranging discussions tomorrow with a focus on ramping up cooperation in the field of economy and security besides inking a number of agreements.

Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, who arrived here today on an official visit, will meet his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh tomorrow. "India has occupied a significant and important place in foreign policy activities of Mauritius," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters here.

Indian-origin Ramgoolam had visited India on many occasions since 1995 in various capacities. Asked if any agreement is likely to be signed during his visit till February 10, Additional Secretary (East and South Africa) Gurjit Singh said that "with a country with which we have such a close and diverse relationship, there are always a clutch of agreements."

He said final agreements will be worked out by tomorrow. Mauritius has been a big source of FDI in India. At last count, about USD 62 billion of investment came in through Mauritius. Singh said India has a "very cogent" relationship with Mauritius on security front.

"We have also sought to augment their capacity--both human and physical," he said.