Indian Navy chief of staff received at State House |08 November 2014

Admiral R.K. Dhowan, the chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy yesterday paid a courtesy call on President James Michel at State House.

Admiral Dhowan and his delegation of senior naval officers were accompanied to State House by the Indian high commissioner to Seychelles Sanjay Kumar Panda.
 They were here to hand over a patrol vessel the INS Tarasa to the Seychelles Coast Guard. This was held later yesterday morning.

Speaking to the press soon after meeting the Seychellois Head of State Admiral Dhowan said his visit at State House was to renew the strong bilateral relation and the strong bond of friendship which exist between the Indian Navy and the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces.

‘’It was an honour and a priviledge to call on President Michel and we discussed  mutual issues, the blue economy, activities in the Indian Ocean which surrounds us and we also discussed how best to keep the seas and ocean around us safe and secure,” Admiral Dhowan said.

A communiqué from State House said during their meeting, President Michel thanked the Indian government for its continued support, and in showing the importance to the development of relations in the defence and security areas, in the context of a privileged partnership.

“We are very grateful to the Indian government for the donation of the naval vessel – INS Tarasa. This vessel will enrich and reinforce our surveillance capabilities in order to ensure peace and security in our region,” President Michel pointed out.

“We recognise the assistance that India has been providing us for a long time in order to improve our capacity building, especially in the training of our forces. We value this partnership and it is our wish to continue to strengthen it in the future. The Indian Ocean is our ocean and we need to take ownership in ensuring security and peace in order conserve our Blue Economy,” said President Michel during the meeting.