The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo had a bilateral meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr Kenji Yamada, on 02 March 2023, in the context of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi.

At the outset, Minister Ganoo highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and mentioned that Japan is one of the important development partners of Mauritius. The support of Japan has been instrumental in many sectors including coastal management and maritime security, he stated.

With regard to maritime security, the Minister proposed that the assistance currently provided to the Pacific region be extended to the Indian Ocean in terms of assisting Small Island States in enhancing their economic and environmental resilience.

Minister Ganoo expressed appreciation regarding the donation of speed boats to Mauritius in the context of maritime security and also thanked Japan for the assistance provided on climate change.

He also spoke of the launching of a bilateral business improvement committee between Japan and Mauritius which was announced during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development summit in 2022 and expressed hope that the modalities would be finalised at the earliest.

As for Minister Yamada, he informed that Japan is looking forward to cooperate on maritime security through the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Commission. He also indicated that the Indian Ocean region has a strategic importance for Japan.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Japan further pointed out that Japan is exploring ways of promoting and enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries while indicating that Mauritius could be used as a gateway for Japan into Africa.

The proposal for a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries was also discussed.