India announces $175 million aid to Seychelles

India on Monday announced $175 million as development assistance to Seychelles after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with the island nation’s President Patrick Herminie. The two sides also agreed on a broad vision to expand cooperation in areas of sustainability, trade and economy and security. Herminie is on a six-day visit to India.

Seychelles is a key maritime neighbour for India in the Indian Ocean Region.

“India and Seychelles are connected not just by geography, but by history, trust and a shared vision for the future,” Modi said in his media statement. The prime minister said the development partnership has been the strong foundation of India-Seychelles relations.

“All our efforts have been based on Seychelles’ priorities and needs. Moving forward in this direction, today we are going to announce a special economic package of $175 million,” he said.

Modi said this package will support “concrete projects” in areas such as social housing, mobility, vocational training, health, defence, and maritime security.

In his remarks, Modi also touched upon people-to-people ties between the two nations.

“The greatest strength of India-Seychelles relations is our people-to-people ties. The Indian community settled in Seychelles has made a remarkable contribution to the social and economic life of Seychelles,” he said.

“At the same time, they have also strengthened our friendship from generation to generation,” he added.

After today’s talks, it is clear that India-Seychelles relations are entering a new phase, he noted.