Mauritius said Monday it would do all it can to search in its Indian Ocean waters for possible debris from Malaysia Airlines missing flight MH370, after wreckage washed up on nearby La Reunion.

"We have responded positively to a request from the government of Malaysia," Deputy Prime Minister Xavier-Luc Duval told reporters Monday. "Every effort will be undertaken to locate any debris."

Australian authorities Friday said the discovery of plane wreckage, even if found to be from MH370, would not narrow down the location of the main debris field or solve the mystery of why the jet crashed.

The wreckage, which is two-meters (six-feet) long, was found on a beach on the French island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean and is expected to be analysed in France on Saturday.

Plane wreckage washed up on a tiny Indian Ocean island will be sent to France for investigation, as hopes mounted Thursday the mysterious object could unlock the riddle of missing flight MH370.

After a fruitless 16-month search for the Malaysia Airlines plane, the discovery of a piece of a plane wing offered up the bittersweet hope of closure to the families of 239 people who seemingly disappeared into thin air on the doomed flight.

Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was sworn as president of Mauritius on Friday, becoming the first women to hold the ceremonial position in the Indian Ocean island nation.

"My ambition is to bring the Mauritian nation together around the national flag," Gurib-Fakim after her inauguration, held at the presidency outside the capital Port Louis.

Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was Thursday approved by the parliament of Mauritius as the Indian Ocean island nation's new president, making her the first woman to hold the ceremonial position.

Parliament speaker Maya Hanoomanjee, who is also the first woman to hold that post, said the overwhelming approval of Gurib-Fakim's designation was an historic day for the country. The opposition also supported her appointment, making the vote a mere formality.

The government of Mauritius on Monday designated Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as the Indian Ocean island nation's new president, making her the first woman to hold the ceremonial position.

The appointment of Gurib-Fakim, an internationally-renowned scientist and biologist, is subject to parliament approval, due to take place on Thursday.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked Tuesday on a three-nation tour of Indian Ocean islands, including a visit to neighboring Sri Lanka aimed at reinvigorating ties with the new government.

Modi's first stop will be the Seychelles followed by Mauritius and then Sri Lanka on Friday, where he will travel to the war-torn Tamil heartland of Jaffna, becoming only the second foreign leader to visit the region.

Police in Mauritius arrested former prime minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam on Friday, media reports said, sparking angry demonstrations from supporters in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Ramgoolam, 67, who accepted defeat in parliamentary polls in December, was arrested and held in prison for questioning on Friday afternoon, L'Express and Le Mauricien newspapers reported, quoting his lawyer.

Mauritius' president on Sunday named veteran politician Sir Anerood Jugnauth as prime minister, after the 84-year old won a landslide victory taking nearly three-quarters of seats in parliament.

Jugnauth, a former president and prime minister, was handed his letter of appointment at a meeting at State House on Sunday, a statement from the office of President Kailash Purryag said.

Mauritius' opposition coalition led by 84-year-old ex-president Anerood Jugnauth celebrated a landslide victory Friday taking nearly three-quarters of seats in parliament, as final election results were released.

Jugnauth's center-right Alliance Lepep swept up 47 out of 62 seats in the Indian Ocean nation's parliament, after voters on Wednesday rejected the ruling party's bid to boost presidential powers.