India hands over Dornier aircraft to Mauritius as part of maritime security initiative

The Indian High Commission in Mauritius on Monday informed the handover of a Dornier aircraft from India to Mauritius. India, as part of Vision SAGAR, has supplied the aircraft on lease. The deal was part of the Indian Navy’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) programme announced for enhanced maritime security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

India on Monday handed over Dornier aircraft to Mauritius to assist the island nation with its security. "Implementing Vision SAGAR, HC handed over a Dornier aircraft on lease from @indiannavy to Mauritius and exchanged the contract for the purchase of a new Dornier aircraft under Line of Credit (LOC). India-Mauritius for enhanced maritime security of our common IOR," tweeted the Indian High Commission in Mauritius.

Further adding to the deal, the High Commission also informed that the deal marked 47 years of maritime cooperation between India and Mauritius. "Another milestone in 47 years of maritime cooperation between India and Mauritius. Looking forward to many more years of India-Mauritius cooperation under Vision SAGAR," the HC added. The spokesperson for Indian Navy shared the series and wrote "bridges of friendship".

India's 'Mission SAGAR'

It is to mention that 'Mission SAGAR' was launched by the Indian government on 10 May, 2020, aiming to deliver COVID-19 related assistance to the countries in the Indian Ocean region. It is also being seen as a major milestone in engagement with the countries in the region to fight the menace of COVID-19. INS Airavat is on a deployment to South East Asia for trans-shipment of relief materials.

According to the continuing programme, the Indian Navy has been carrying out numerous philanthropic missions to help nations in their battle against the lethal pandemic. The Navy's missions span the entire extent of the Indian Ocean, including South East Asia and East Africa. Under the programme, the Navy has carried out multiple missions apart from COVID relief initiatives. With the help of the programme, the Central government is trying to strengthen ties between countries and to improve maritime cooperation and engagement between various countries. Numerous joint missions and training sessions have been done as part of the Naval outreach initiative in the past year.

Image: Twitter/ @HCI_PortLouis