The government of Mauritius urged Bangladeshi investors to invest in pharmaceutical sector and expressed their willingness to engage with Bangladesh on the IT sector.

Mauritius being the gateway to other African countries would help the pharmaceutical companies export to other African countries as well.

Masud Bin Momen mentioned that Bangladesh has the second largest free-lance IT experts in the world and Mauritius can tap the potentials of Bangladeshi IT experts.

 “Bangladesh government has the Access to Information (A2I) project through which many services have been reached out to the door steps of rural people,” he said, offering such services to Mauritius.

According to a foreign ministry press release, foreign secretary along with his entourage members visited Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Street located in the heart of the city in Plaine Verte and paid tribute to the greatest Bangalee of all time Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Momen also paid courtesy calls on Foreign Minister of Mauritius Alan GANOO and Foreign Secretary Haymandoyal Dillum.

Bangladesh foreign secretary expressed his sincere gratitude to the government of Mauritius for naming street as “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Street” in Plaine Verte.

Momen mentioned that both countries can infuse new ideas and undertake collaborative projects where development partners are keen to invest.

Mauritian foreign secretary laid emphasis on tourism, fisheries and ocean economy –three cluster areas of cooperation to work together under the IORA.

Mauritian foreign minister and foreign secretary stressed the need for regular exchange visits of high-level government officials and businessmen from both sides.

Momen highlighted the importance of memorandum of understating (MoU) on Foreign Office Consultation between Bangladesh and Mauritius and invited his counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time to sign the MoU.

The instrument will provide a platform to discuss the whole gamut of bilateral issues, identify possible areas of cooperation and regular follow up, he said.

The meeting stressed the need of close collaboration in the tourism sector.

Mauritian economy was badly hit due to the Covid 19 pandemic while tourism is the economic life line of the country.

Bangladesh foreign secretary said in order to promote tourism, visa processing must be made easier.

He proposed to appoint an Honorary Consul in Bangladesh to ease consular and visa processing or a Consular Officer from Mauritian Embassy in New Delhi could visit Dhaka at a regular interval for visa purposes. He said online visa facilities can also be introduced.

Foreign secretary stressed the need for direct air connectivity for promoting tourism and put emphasis on concluding the air service agreement between the two countries. Momen stated that Bangladesh achieved remarkable progress in agriculture including fisheries and livestock.

Bangladesh has specialised training institutions on agricultural sector, he said, offering training programmes for Mauritian farmers and technical hands.

He appreciated that Mauritius is hosting a good number of Bangladeshi expatriates working there.

Mauritius foreign minister praised Bangladeshi workers and said that they are hardworking, law abiding and fast learners.

Foreign secretary extended sincere thanks to Mauritian foreign minister for arranging vaccines for the Bangladeshi expatriate workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Momen expressed gratitude to the government of Mauritius for their consistent support on the Rohingya issue.

Other areas namely fishing, aquaculture and blue economy were also at the core of discussion. They emphasised the need for cooperation between the two countries in the areas. Later, Ambassador Masud Bin Momen paid an official visit to the Secretariat of IORA for the first time after assuming leadership of IORA.

He held a session with the newly appointed Secretary General Salman Al Farisi and all staff of the Secretariat.

Momen gave guidelines and offered new ideas to make the Secretariat more active, vibrant and target oriented.

Md. Khurshed Alam, Secretary at Maritime Affairs Unit of Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, who has been playing instrumental role in preserving Bangladesh´s interest in IORA, accompanied the foreign secretary.

 Mauritius foreign minister invited a Bangladeshi delegation to be led by the Foreign Minister including Businessmen, IT experts and private entrepreneurs to explore the possible areas of collaboration and investment.

Bangladesh foreign secretary invited both the Mauritius foreign minister and secretary to visit Bangladesh this year at their convenience.