Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held wide-ranging talks with Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam in Varanasi, reaffirming the special civilisational and strategic partnership between the two nations.

Ramgoolam, who is on an eight-day visit to India, discussed with Modi ways to advance the ‘Enhanced Strategic Partnership’ agreed earlier this year. The meeting, held in the ancient city of Varanasi, underscored the civilisational connect, spiritual bonds, and people-to-people ties that have long defined India-Mauritius relations.

Ahead of the bilateral, Ramgoolam met Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to review the multifaceted partnership. The Ministry of External Affairs posted on X that the discussion reaffirmed a shared commitment to deepening cooperation across multiple domains.

During the talks, Modi and Ramgoolam reviewed the entire spectrum of ties, placing special focus on development partnership, capacity building, healthcare, education, science and technology, energy, and infrastructure. Renewable energy, digital public infrastructure, and the blue economy were highlighted as priority areas of collaboration.

The Varanasi summit builds on the momentum of Modi’s state visit to Mauritius in March 2025, when the two nations elevated their relationship to an ‘Enhanced Strategic Partnership.’ As a close maritime neighbour and valued partner in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is central to India’s MAHASAGAR Vision and its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

The partnership also resonates with the aspirations of the Global South, reflecting shared values of mutual prosperity, sustainable development, and inclusive growth.

On Wednesday, speaking at a business conclave in Maharashtra, Ramgoolam described India as Mauritius’ “most reliable partner” and predicted that the partnership would “last forever.”

Mauritius, which established diplomatic ties with India in 1948 even before its independence, continues to enjoy a relationship marked by deep trust, high-level exchanges, and strong political understanding.