India and Seychelles share warm and cordial relations between them

Terming Seychelles as central to India's vision of 'SAGAR' - 'Security and Growth for All in the Region', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said, “India is honoured to be a partner of Seychelles in the development of its security capabilities and in meeting its infrastructural and developmental needs.”

“Today marks an important milestone in our relations. We are meeting to jointly inaugurate several new projects completed under our development partnership,” the Prime Minister said at India-Seychelles high level virtual event.

Inaugurating India-financed New Magistrates’ Court Building jointly with Seychelles President Ramkalawan, who has his roots in Bihar’s Gopalganj district, Prime Minister Modi maintained, “A free, independent and efficient judicial system is vital for all democracies. We are happy to have contributed towards the construction of the New Magistrates’ Court Building in Seychelles. This state of the art building has been completed even during these testing times of Covid-19 pandemic. I am sure that it will be long remembered as a symbol of our deep and abiding friendship.”

With regard to 10 high impact community development projects, which were also jointly inaugurated, the Prime Minister said India has always believed in a human-centric approach to development cooperation. “This philosophy is reflected in the ten High Impact Community Development Projects being inaugurated today. These projects will bring positive change in the lives of communities spread across Seychelles,” Modi said.

Handing over of a Fast Patrol Vessel to Seychelles Coast Guard, he said
India is committed to strengthening the maritime security of Seychelles.

“Today, we are handing over a new, state of the art, Made in India, Fast Patrol Vessel to the Seychelles Coast Guard. This vessel will help Seychelles to protect its maritime resources,” the Prime Minister said.

Handing over of a 1 MW solar power plant, built with India’s assistance, he said climate change poses a special threat to island countries. “All these projects reflect the development priorities of Seychelles, which is of growth with care for nature,” he said.

India and Seychelles share warm and cordial relations between them. The Indian Ocean country was the first from the African continent to receive 50,000 doses of Made in India vaccines.

The virtual event was the first interaction of Prime Minister Modi with Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan who came to power after landmark victory in October 2020 elections in the country.