Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said that in order to enhance the maritime security awareness in the region, the government will set up the “National Maritime Information Sharing Centre,” Le Matinal reported.
Yesterday, while addressing the opening ceremony of the 13th edition of Exercise Cutlass Express, PM Jugnauth recalled that this event, held on a regular basis since 2011, is a joint multinational exercise and that through the last decade, this exercise enabled the U.S. Naval Force, the Mauritian National Coast Guard and other maritime forces to collaborate closely so as to strengthen their capacity and capability to ensure maritime security.
The main aim of the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre is collecting and disseminating actionable information to regional and international partners to combat piracy, drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal fishing, and other maritime crimes, according to Le Matinal is Mauritius’s New-Age media platform.
The 13th edition of Exercise Cutlass Express, sponsored by the United States (US) Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conducted by the US Naval Forces Africa, at the Coast Guard Training School in Le Chaland.
Mauritius underlined the Prime Minister, has been an active participant in such regional and bilateral endeavours which help foster maritime security and share real-time information for timely warning and response to potential maritime security threats in the region. He also expressed conviction that this training exercise will upgrade the skills of all participants from various coast guards and navies.
Furthermore, he remarked that the reliance on the ocean for trade and commerce shows that the future of humanity is greatly dependent on the safety and security of the seas. As such, it is imperative to strengthen safety and security at sea by collaborative and cooperative approaches, and concrete joint interventions such as the Exercise Cutlass Express, he added.
Meanwhile, at the event, the US Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, Henry V Jardine, underscored that this exercise reflects the growing security partnership between Mauritius and USA, and is an important step in a strong relationship rooted in both countries’ common values and heritage, reported Le Matinal.
He also expressed hope to focus his efforts on further strengthening the Mauritius-USA relationship in maritime security.
In the event, Commissioner of Police, Anil Kumar Dip, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, and other personalities were also present.
Exercise Cutlass Express is AFRICOM’s largest naval training exercise in the Indian Ocean. It is a multinational maritime exercise designed to assess and improve combined maritime law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security, and to bring together U.S. forces and East African nations, Western Indian Ocean nations, and other international partners to share their expertise and experience, as per Le Matinal.