India determined to eliminate terrorism, piracy: President

Sumir Kaul
Port Louis, Apr 26 (PTI) India Tuesday said it is
determined to fight and eliminate the menace of terrorism and
piracy in cooperation with international community.
In her address to the National Assembly of Mauritius,
President of India Pratibha Patil said India and Mauritius
would have an important role to play in the Indian Ocean
region to which both the countries belong to.
"I would also like to say that India values the continued
support given by Mauritius to India's concerns and
aspirations. We are determined to confront the global menace
of terrorism and piracy along with our international partners
to eliminate this scourge," Patil, who is on a five-day state
visit to Mauritius, said.
The President said India appreciates the unswerving and
consistent support of Mauritius to its candidature for
permanent membership of an expanded United Nations Security
Council.
Maintaining that Mauritius and India are bound together by
strong, unbreakable links and will stay together, Patil
reaffirmed the commitment of the people of India for welfare,
peace, progress and prosperity of Mauritius and its people,
and for continuance of their historical partnership towards
realisation of the two countries' many objectives and
dreams.
The President said India would continue to remain a
valued and trusted partner of Mauritius in its multifaceted
comprehensive development and would be happy to participate in
various aspects of the growth story of Mauritius.
"Our exchange of experience in tackling climate change
has been fruitful. Our participation in conceptualising, in
elaborating and in tackling the various issues confronting the
21st Century world has been mutually beneficial," she said.
Highly praising the people of Mauritius for carrying
forward the torch of progress with democratic values, Patil
said the essence of democracy also lies in tolerance and
harmony, values which have the ability to weave together the
extensive plurality that exists in a country as large and
diverse as India into a composite whole.
In her speech at the banquet hosted by Mauritius Prime
Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam last evening, the President
said the Indian economy, which touched a growth rate of 8.5
per cent last year, is expected to be further strengthened and
grow at the rate of 9 per cent this year.
"We have an ambitious programme for the expansion of our
social and infrastructure sectors. Our large and growing
economy offers many opportunities for other countries, as
indeed for our traditional friends like Mauritius, with whom
we seek to broaden our economic engagement, a fundamental
pillar of our strategic partnership," she said.