REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File PhotoIndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) shakes hands with his Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam before the start of their bilateral meeting in New Delhi May 27, 2014. Modi will be the chief guest at the country's national day and hold talks with Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, who returned to office for his third stint in 2024. India, in its bid to expand its strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean, helped Mauritius develop sea and air links on the remote Agalega Islands. "Diego Garcia could be a useful runway for Indian surveillance aircraft in the Indian Ocean to use periodically," said Bashfield. A source close to Prime Minister Ramgoolam's office said: "Mauritius sees India and the US sharing the same interest of containing the Chinese influence within the region."
