NEW DELHI: The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism of the Republic of Seychelles Sylvestre Radegonde, will be visiting India for the first time as Foreign Minister from 22-24 November 2023.
During the diplomats visit he will meet with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to review India-Seychelles bilateral engagement in various fields.
The Eat African collection of 115 islands, have maintained strong relations with India since gaining its independence in 1976.
Minister Radegonde’s visit intends to strengthen ties between the Republic of Seychelles and India in the three-day visit.
Though the economic and commercial cooperation at the moment is small between the two sovereign states, there exists significant scope for enhancing cooperation in this field. Presently, Seychelles’ main items of import from India are rice, miscellaneous food products, cement, linen, cotton, vehicles and associated transport equipment’s, medicines, instruments and appliances for medical, surgical & dental use.
The last time Seychelles visited India was with former President Danny Faure, visiting India twice in 2018, once in March to attend the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance and again in June, for a State Visit.
India and Seychelles enjoy cordial bilateral relations buttressed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ – Security and Growth for All in the Region.
PM Modi’s SAGAR intends to strengthen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours while also assisting in developing their maritime security capabilities.
The state’s visit to India marks another African state developing relations with India after visits from the President of Tanzania and Vice-President of the Dominican Republic in October 2023.
This could be a further move to develop BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) union participation after the addition of African states Egypt and Ethiopia as well as Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. (ANI)
Also Read: An adventure lover’s guide to Seychelles
