Seychelles and India to explore new avenues for cooperation |08 July 2023

Minister Radegonde welcomes Mr Agrawal to the Maison Quéau de Quinssy

Training through joint military exercises, sharing of knowledge from military experts deputised at the Seychelles Coastguard, maritime surveillance, assistance on community projects and capacity building in various fields were the main points discussed during a courtesy call by the joint secretary for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Puneet Agrawal, on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde at the Maison Quéau de Quinssy on Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Minister Radegonde conveyed his gratitude to the Indian government for the continued support offered to the government of Seychelles throughout the years.

“I cannot express how grateful Seychelles is for the multifaceted assistance the Indian government has provided to its citizens, especially in capacity building through scholarships as well as short-term courses. We hope to continue to count on India’s support in this regard,” he added.

“The government of India is always ready to provide support to the government of Seychelles, be it in the form of specialised or customised training that will cater to the needs of the country,” said Mr Agrawal.

Both parties agreed that there is scope for future collaboration in other fields namely information technology, digital interface and payment initiatives, visa waiver for short-term stay, and hydrography.

Minister Radegonde touched on the challenges and vulnerabilities of small island developing states (Sids) such as Seychelles, which are categorised as middle or high-income and therefore not eligible to access concessional finance. The creation of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) would allow Seychelles to gain access to concessional financing to mitigate these effects.

Present for the meeting were the Indian high commissioner, Kartik Pande; Chief of Defence Forces, Brigadier Michael Rosette; principal secretary for the Foreign Affairs department, Ambassador Vivianne FockTave; and other senior officials from the department.

Contributed