New Delhi, July 30 Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating Mauritius Supreme Court building through a video conference on Thursday, said that India's development cooperation with its regional partners was unconditional and without any quid pro quo.
The Supreme Court building in Mauritius is the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis. The landmark project has been completed amidst the Covid pandemic, with a grant assistance of USD 28.12 million from the government of India, a statement of the ministry of external affairs said.
Inaugurating the building jointly with Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister Modi during his video address said, "India's development cooperation does not come with any conditions, nor is it influenced by any political or commercial considerations."
The indirect reference to unconditional development cooperation in the region was a dig at China which is known to be predatory and imperialistic in all its development projects in foreign countries.
The core principle for development cooperation, PM Modi said, "is respect for our partners and the central motivation is sharing of our development lessons." Prime Minister Modi said that the development cooperation with Mauritius is at the heart of India's approach to development partnerships.
Noting the importance of human-centric approach as the underlying philosophy of India's development cooperation, he commended the role of people-oriented infrastructure projects in further cementing the close ties between India and Mauritius.
This, he emphasized, distinguishes the Indian development cooperation as marked by the core values of 'Respect', 'Diversity', 'Care for the Future', and 'Sustainable Development'.
Prime Minister Modi said that the new Supreme Court building with modern design and state-of-the-art facilities will be a fitting seat for the Mauritius judiciary, and a symbol of cooperation as well as shared values of India and Mauritius. He also pointed out that the project had been completed on schedule and at a cost below initial estimates.
In line with India's vision of 'SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region', the new Supreme Court building demonstrates India's role as a reliable partner of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean region as also India's steadfast commitment to strengthen the future-oriented partnership between the two countries.
Noting that India takes pride in the achievements of the people of Mauritius, Prime Minister Modi expressed his confidence that the India-Mauritius partnership is destined to soar even higher in the coming years.
Prime Minister Jugnauth expressed his deep appreciation for India's support for the project as reflective of the close ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. "Our country, our people are grateful for your support," he told PM Modi.
Quoting PM Modi's Prayagraj speech in March this year, PM Jugnauth said that his government held the same values and vision of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' (Together, for everyone's growth, with everyone's trust). "Today's event bears out the depth of our determination and commitment to our modernization endeavour for the well being of our people. This is sacred for us and I know, Modi ji, that we both share this philosophy," PM Jugnauth said.
He noted that the construction of the Supreme Court Building with Indian assistance is a new milestone in the modernization of infrastructure in Mauritius and will help make the Mauritius justice system more efficient, accessible and inclusive.
( With inputs from IANS )