New Delhi: As Mauritius moves to assert sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, India will gain a stake in the region with New Delhi agreeing to support the island nation’s surveillance of its expanded territorial waters.The announcement was made on Thursday (September 12) in Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam on his first bilateral visit abroad since returning to office in 2024. Ramgoolam arrived in India on September 8 for an eight-day state visit.In May, Mauritius and the UK signed a treaty recognising Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos islands while allowing the UK to retain long-term control of the Diego Garcia base, used jointly with the US.The agreement, however, still requires ratification by both the UK and Mauritian parliaments. Ramgoolam said in Varanasi that the accord would be presented to Mauritius’s parliament “in a few days”.Congratulating him on the outcome, Modi called it “a historic milestone for Mauritius’s sovereignty” and said India had “always supported decolonisation and stood firmly with Mauritius in this journey”.The three-time Mauritian prime minister acknowledged the difficulties of securing the newly expanded maritime zone.“We don’t have the capacity for surveillance,” he said, adding that his government wanted to “visit Chagos to put our flag there, including Diego Garcia”.He noted that Britain had offered to send a vessel for the visit but said it would be “symbolically better” if the ship came from India.Foreign secretary Vikram Misri told reporters that the Chagos settlement had brought new obligations for Mauritius.“It has many more responsibilities now. It needs maritime resources, and in order to be able to fully develop and exploit those resources, it will need assistance – and India is a preferred partner in providing that assistance,” he said.Misri added that maritime security cooperation would help counter “illegal fishing, trafficking, contraband, human trafficking and gun running” through support with equipment, platforms and trained personnel.In March, India and Mauritius upgraded their ties to an “enhanced strategic partnership” during Modi’s visit to the island nation.The Special Economic Package announced by the two countries on Thursday includes about $215 million in grants for projects such as the new Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital, an AYUSH Centre of Excellence, a veterinary school and animal hospital, and helicopters.A further $440 million will be delivered through a mix of grants and concessional credit for a new air traffic control tower at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, the M4 motorway and ring road, and port equipment.India has also pledged $25 million in budgetary support this year.Officials said the redevelopment of Port Louis, along with the development and surveillance of the Chagos Marine Protected Area, formed the package’s two strategic elements.Misri described the port project as “a very large” undertaking of “strategic significance” given Mauritius’s location on key east-west shipping lanes.The talks also revisited the pending amendment to the Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty, revised in 2016 and still awaiting final ratification by Mauritius. In his public remarks, Ramgoolam said the treaty “can be improved, but we’ll see how things go”.Mauritius was once the top source of foreign investment into India, contributing $175 billion since 2000. Inflows fell sharply after the 2016 revision of the treaty but Mauritius still ranked second after Singapore in 2024-25.Alongside the package, the two leaders oversaw the signing of cooperation agreements on science and technology, hydrography, oceanography, power, space tracking and civil service training under Mission Karmayogi.India also announced support for a 17.5 MW floating solar project at Tamarind Falls, expanded civil service training, and new academic partnerships between IIT Madras, the Indian Institute of Plantation Management and the University of Mauritius.Mauritius has long been among the largest recipients of Indian aid, with more than $1.1 billion committed over the past decade, much of it for infrastructure and capacity building.