Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam on September 11 in Varanasi, marking the first-ever formal bilateral meeting with a visiting head of state in the city. While Varanasi has previously hosted foreign dignitaries such as French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018 and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, those visits did not involve official bilateral talks.
Explaining the decision to hold the meeting in Kashi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the prime minister has long stressed the importance of taking diplomacy beyond Delhi, highlighting that foreign policy represents the entire nation rather than one city.
Ramgoolam, who began his state visit to India on September 9, was welcomed in Varanasi by Governor Patel and Finance Minister Suresh Khanna. During his stay, he is scheduled to attend the Ganga aarti, visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple, and later travel to Ayodhya and Tirupati before returning home on September 16. This marks his first overseas bilateral visit since assuming office in his current term.
Talks between Modi and Ramgoolam covered a wide range of issues. A key outcome was the decision for India and Mauritius to facilitate trade in local currencies, a move aimed at reducing dependency on the US dollar and strengthening bilateral commerce. Modi emphasized that both nations share a common vision of ensuring that the Indian Ocean remains free, open, secure, and stable, underscoring the maritime region’s strategic importance.
The Indian prime minister also congratulated Ramgoolam on the conclusion of the Chagos agreement, calling it a “historic victory” for Mauritius’s sovereignty. In May, the United Kingdom agreed to transfer control of the Chagos Islands, including the strategically important Diego Garcia atoll, back to Mauritius after more than five decades of British administration. The handover marks a significant diplomatic milestone for the island nation.
The meeting in Varanasi symbolizes not only India’s efforts to decentralize diplomacy but also the deepening ties between New Delhi and Port Louis. With cooperation in currency trade, shared security interests in the Indian Ocean, and Mauritius celebrating a long-awaited sovereignty achievement, the talks highlighted both historical bonds and forward-looking collaboration.
