Bangladesh |
Mauritius |
---|
Bangladesh–Mauritius relations refer to the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Mauritius. Bangladesh has an embassy in Port Louis.
The first account of a Bengali in Mauritius was in 1765 by the Mughal Empire diplomat I'tisam-ud-Din. [1] [2] Following this, Mirza Abu Taleb Khan, who later visited Europe in the closing years of the 18th century, had noticed that Bengali sailors had settled in Maldives. [3]
Mauritius recognised Bangladesh's independence on February 20, 1972. [4]
In 1978, former Mauritius Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam paid an official visit to Dhaka. Former foreign minister of Mauritius Jaya Krishna Cuttaree visited Dhaka in 2005. [5] In 2009, former Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni paid an official visit to Port Louis and held meetings with Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Vice-Prime Minister Ramakrishna Sithanen, Minister for Finance and Economic Empowerment, Arvin Boolell, Foreign Minister, Jean Francois Chaumiere and Minister for Labour, International Relations and Employment Dharambeer Gokhool. [6]
Mauritius has sought Bangladesh's assistance in the education sector. Mauritius has requested Bangladesh to expand access for Mauritian students intending to pursue higher studies in Bangladesh. [5]
Bangladesh and Mauritius have shown their interest to expand the bilateral economic activities between the two countries and have been taking necessary steps in this regard. In 2013, a 7-member Bangladeshi delegation led by former commerce minister G M Quader paid a visit to Mauritius to initiate talks on Preferential Trade Agreement with Mauritius. Bangladeshi garments and handicrafts are potential products in the Mauritian market. Mauritius is also a significant destination for manpower export of Bangladesh. [7] In 2005, Bangladesh has signed an MoU with Mauritius to formulise the existing cooperation in the field of manpower export to Mauritius. [5] Bangladesh also exports pharmaceutical medicine to Mauritius. [8]
As of 2013, there are about 10,000 Bangladeshi expatriates living in Mauritius. [7]