Being strategically located in the South- Western Indian Ocean region, Mauritius has important historical, cultural and political links with India. Ever since Mauritius achieved independence in 1968, both countries have forged close relations distinguished by common kinship, culture, religion, and shared interests. In March 2001, during his state visit to Mauritius, the then President K. R. Narayanan had stated: "I take this opportunity to once again reiterate that the security and sovereignty of Mauritius is of paramount importance to us. You will never find India wanting in this regard". Both India and Mauritius have taken Indo-Mauritian ties further recently through wide-ranging cooperation on maritime and related issues.

In keeping with the high profile visits by Deputy Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to India in January 2004, and India's then External Affairs Minister Mr.Yashwant Sinha to Mauritius in July 2003, as well as the Ninth meeting of the Indo-Mauritius Joint Commission in January 8, 2004, Indian Naval ship Savitri visited Mauritius on January 14-16, 2004. The visit of the ship was a reaffirmation of India's commitment to provide Mauritius with defense assistance particularly in training personnel and for the surveillance of the vast Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone. In this context, it is worth noting that, in 1974, some three decades ago, Mauritius acquired MNS Amar from India that was later inducted as the first unit of the Mauritian Navy and transferred later to the National Coast Guard. As for INS Savitri, it meets Mauritian interests as it has a wide ranging role to secure the national maritime interests of Mauritius. Furthermore, the ship's capabilities could be of use to the Mauritius Coast Guard as it is designed for an extended cruise in remote areas of operations such as INS Savitri's participation in cyclone relief operations that hit the Indian state of Orissa in 1999.

Sagar Kanya - 'Daughter of the Sea', India's first deep sea Oceanographic Research Vessel (ORV) visited Mauritius on January 18-22, 2004. The ship conducted several surface and sub-surface oceanographic observations, including extraction of polymetallic nodules from deep sea, to extend the limits of the Continental Shelf of Mauritius. In collaboration with the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai and National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, multidisciplinary oceanographic studies of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius was carried out with the technology available on Sagar Kanya.

Two Indian Coast Guard ships, Sarang and Veera, visited Mauritius on 26-29January, 2004. Both had unique capabilities and were specially equipped for maritime law enforcement and could take part under all weather conditions in search and rescue, pollution response, anti-poaching, anti-smuggling and surveillance missions for the Mauritian Coast Guard.

India's Naval ship, Tabar, also visited Mauritius on July 21-24, 2004. Tabar, meaning 'Battle Axe', is an ultra modern multi-purpose naval destroyer, built at the Baltic shipyard, and has been inducted into the Indian Navy. The ship's offensive weapons include long range surface-to-surface missiles, long range anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel torpedoes and 100 mm caliber guns for engaging onshore and off shore targets. Tabar is provided with an area defense surface-to-air missile system, anti-missile-artillery, an automated high caliber artillery gun mount and a 12-barrel anti-submarine rocket launcher. What is of particular interest to the Mauritian National Coast Guard is the ship's user friendly computer controlled Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Defense and Damage Control Infrastructure and the Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopter, providing useful early warning and data link for comprehensive surveillance of the ocean. In this context, Mauritius and India's commitment to UN Security Resolution 1373 calls for a global, comprehensive and sustained effort to curb international terrorism.

It is hoped that maritime cooperation will enhance in the coming years along with diversification and expansion of the other shared interests and goals that both nations have, ranging from increased trade and business investments through a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement (CECPA) to a cultural interaction by setting up the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Upadhaya Training Centre, World Hindi Secretariat and the Rajiv Gandhi Science Center in the Mauritian capital. Similarly, India's support and genuine concern to the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) and the September 2004 International Meeting on the Comprehensive Review of the Barbados Programme of Action for Sustainable Development is to be applauded.