(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu was welcomed by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his Cabinet members as she landed in the island nation on Monday to participate in the National Day celebrations as Chief Guest.

During her three-day stay in the country from March 11-13, President Murmu and PM Jugnauth will jointly inaugurate 14 India-assisted projects in a further fillip to bilateral partnership.

"President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Mauritius on her first state visit to the country, to participate in the Mauritian National Day celebrations as Chief Guest," a post on the 'X' handle of Rashtrapati Bhavan read.

"In a special gesture, Prime Minister @KumarJugnauth, along with members of his cabinet and senior Mauritian dignitaries, received President Murmu upon arrival with full state honours."

President Murmu will also hold bilateral meetings with her Mauritius counterpart Prithvirajsing Roopun and PM Jugnauth.

In addition, she will meet the Speaker of the Mauritius National Assembly, the Chief Justice of the Mauritian Supreme Court, and other important Mauritian leaders. According to an MEA release, the President will also witness the exchange of the key bilateral agreements that seek to strengthen the robust bilateral institutional collaboration and capacity-building cooperation between the two countries.

President Murmu's visit comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Jugnauth jointly inaugurated a new airstrip and a jetty along with six other community development projects in Agalega Island.

India has close, long-standing relations with Mauritius owing to historic, demographic, and cultural reasons.

In addition, people of Indian origin comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island's population of 1.2 million.

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