VICTORIA, Seychelles, June 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening its longstanding development partnership with Seychelles while expanding bilateral cooperation across strategic, economic, and high-technology sectors.
Addressing a joint press conference with Seychelles President Patrick Herminie, Modi highlighted India’s Special Economic Package (SEP) worth $175 million, announced during President Herminie’s visit to India earlier this year.
Describing development cooperation as the defining feature of India-Seychelles relations, the prime minister said India’s approach remains centered on the priorities, needs, and aspirations of its partner countries.
“Development partnership has been a defining feature of our relationship. India always moves forward by keeping the priorities, needs, and aspirations of the partner nation at the center. During the President’s visit to India, we announced a Special Economic Package of $175 million. Under this initiative, work is being carried out in sectors such as social housing, transportation, skill development, food security, education, and defense,” Modi said.
Referring to the virtual groundbreaking ceremony for a new Professional and Technical Center in Seychelles, Modi said the facility would enhance the employability, skills, and confidence of the country’s youth.
“Supporting human resource development in Seychelles has been a special priority for India. I am pleased that we are contributing to the training of Seychelles’ civil servants. Today, the virtual groundbreaking ceremony for the Professional and Technical Center is also taking place. We believe that this center will elevate the skills, employability, and self-confidence of the youth of Seychelles to new heights in the future,” he said.
Highlighting the two countries’ longstanding cooperation in healthcare, Modi said the partnership had stood the test of time, recalling India’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
To further strengthen health cooperation, he announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Jan Aushadhi initiative, aimed at making quality, affordable medicines available to the people of Seychelles.
“Our partnership in the health sector has stood the test of time. We fulfilled our obligations as a friend by supplying vaccines during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MoU signed today regarding Jan Aushadhi will help provide quality and affordable medicines to the people of Seychelles. We will continue our efforts to further strengthen medical care in Seychelles through capacity building and training,” he said.
Modi emphasized that defense and security remain a cornerstone of bilateral relations, stating that the security interests of India and Seychelles are closely interconnected.
“Our cooperation in the fields of energy and climate action is also steadily growing. We will continue to collaborate in new areas of clean energy, including green hydrogen. The Blue Economy is a natural and strategic area of our relationship. We will share India’s expertise in ocean observation, marine science, and coastal management with Seychelles,” he said.
“We are moving forward together in the space sector. I am pleased that an MoU has been signed between the two sides on this subject today. We believe that the defense and security of India and Seychelles are inextricably linked, and we will continue our close cooperation in this regard,” he added.
The prime minister also highlighted the growing importance of digital connectivity in strengthening bilateral engagement and welcomed the signing of an MoU to implement the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Seychelles.
“Efforts will also be made to enhance connectivity between India and Seychelles. This will not only boost our trade but also strengthen ties with East Africa and the Indian Ocean region. We believe that digital technology is an effective means to bridge the distance between our two countries. We will share India’s successful experiences in digital public infrastructure with Seychelles, and I am pleased that an MoU is being signed today to implement UPI in Seychelles,” Modi said.
He concluded by reaffirming India’s commitment to supporting Seychelles through capacity building, training, and expanded cooperation across a broad range of strategic sectors.
Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day state visit to Seychelles from June 27 to June 29 at the invitation of President Herminie. (ANI)
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