Port Louis: Building bridges of friendship whilst training young minds, the ships of the First Training Squadron (1TS) comprising INS Tir and CGS Sarathi arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius on Monday.

The visit also coincides with the 57th Mauritius National Day celebrations on Mar 12.

As a gesture of solidarity and friendship, one helicopter and a contingent of the Indian Navy will participate in the Mauritius National Day city parade. President Droupadi Murmu is the Chief Guest for the National Day celebrations.

Earlier, the ship undertook joint EEZ surveillance with Mauritius Dornier aircraft.

During the visit to Port Louis, various training activities and cross-deck visits are planned. The presence of 1TS is a testament to the shared commitment to regional security and underlines the rich cultural and diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Earlier, INS Tir, the lead ship of the First Training Squadron (1TS), participated in Exercise Cutlass Express 24 (CE-24) held at Port Victoria, Seychelles, from February 26 to March 8.

The exercise was inaugurated by the President of the Seychelles in the presence of dignitaries from India, the USA and African countries. As part of Cutlass Express, the Indian Navy actively engaged with participants from 16 friendly foreign countries.

The training was conducted on theoretical and practical aspects of maritime interdiction operations, visit board search and seizure procedures and diving operations. During the sea phase, the ship's VBSS team boarded the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) ship LE Vigilant and demonstrated procedures for boarding operations.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Mauritius on a three-day state visit on Monday. In a special gesture, the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth welcomed President Murmu at the airport with full honours.

"President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn arrives in Mauritius on a 3-day State Visit," the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal wrote in a post on X.

As a significant highlight of the visit, President Murmu will be the Chief Guest at the National Day celebrations of Mauritius, marking a new milestone in the longstanding friendship between the two countries.

Murmu will also attend the National Day celebrations of Mauritius on March 12 as the chief guest, on the invitation of the government of Mauritius.

A contingent of the Indian Navy will participate in the celebrations along with two ships of the Indian Navy's First Training Squadron - INS Tir and CGS Sarathi, the MEA release also said.

President Murmu will hold bilateral meetings with the President of Mauritius, Prithvirajsing Roopun and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.

During the visit, President Murmu and Prime Minister Jugnauth will jointly inaugurate 14 India-assisted projects, showcasing the growing expanse and multifaceted nature of India's vibrant development partnership with Mauritius that constitutes a key pillar of the bilateral relationship.

President Murmu will also witness the exchange of important bilateral agreements that seek to further strengthen the robust bilateral institutional collaboration and capacity-building cooperation between the two countries, the MEA release added.

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