India and Seychelles sign four bilateral agreements |12 March 2015

•Seychelles gets coastal surveillance radar system, one more Dornier aircraft and visa waiver on travel to India

Four bilateral agreements in fields such as hydrography, renewable energy and security were signed between India and Seychelles yesterday at State House.

The signing of the agreements followed bilateral talks between visiting Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his delegation and a Seychelles government delegation headed by President James Michel.

Indian PM Modi, who was on a one-day official visit to Seychelles, also announced that India is giving Seychelles another Dornier aircraft and a coastal surveillance radar system to strengthen surveillance of its EEZ.
 
PM Modi also announced a visa waiver for Seychellois citizens trav
elling to India.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan and Navtej Sarna, secretary in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, signed the four agreements  in the presence of PM Modi and President Michel.

The first agreement is on renewable energy cooperation, the second on cooperation in the field of hydrography, the third on the sale of navigational charts and the fourth for the development of facilities on Assumption island.

Following the signing President Michel hailed the India-Seychelles partnership.

“Everybody recognises India’s footprints on many facets of our economic, social and cultural development. We have an exemplary partnership in the defence and security sectors. This is very much reflected in our fight against piracy and the joint patrolling of our oceans and also the training of our defence personnel,” he said.

President Michel said the four agreements which have just been signed in the military field as well as in hydrography, renewable energy and air services will provide renewed platforms for our two countries to strengthen further our relations.

“We are very encouraged by the willingness of the government and people of India to work with us in the context of the development of our Blue Economy. This is an area that holds great promise for our nations. The Blue Economy is all about ownership by regional states of the resources in our oceans around our islands and our coasts,” he stressed.

He noted that India is a leader and Seychelles looks to India not only at the bilateral level, but also regionally and globally. Both our countries have a shared interest in the security of the Indian Ocean.

For his part PM Modi said: “We regard Seychelles as a vital partner in our Indian Ocean neighbourhood.
“Our relationship is unique and special. It is founded on a deep sense of mutual trust and confidence. It is marked by a spirit of respect and equality; and enormous goodwill and warmth.

“It draws strength from our shared values of democracy and inclusiveness. It is nurtured by a common purpose - progress of our people and peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region”.

He said Seychelles has made impressive progress. It has shown that size is no barrier to the scale of achievements.

“This visit and my conversation with President Michel have reinforced my conviction in the strength and the importance of this relationship,” he pointed out.
 
“Our security partnership is strong. It has enabled us to fulfill our shared responsibility to advance maritime security in the region. It is a privilege to be a partner of Seychelles in the development of its security capabilities,” PM Modi stressed.

PM Modi said the aircraft, the second Seychelles will be receiving from the Indian government, and the coastal surveillance radar system, are other symbols of cooperation between the two countries.

“These steps will enable Seychelles to secure these beautiful islands and the vast expanse of waters around them. Seychelles will also continue to make an enormous contribution to the safety and security of the Indian Ocean Region,” PM Modi added.

“Our agreement on hydrographic survey adds a new dimension to our maritime cooperation. I thank Seychelles for their confidence in India,” he said.

With regard to the agreement on the development of infrastructure on Assumption Island, PM Modi said it gives a strong boost to the two countries’ partnership.

“We are pleased to be a partner in the development of human resources and capacity building in Seychelles. Indeed, Seychelles is one of the largest recipients of Indian assistance in this area. We intend to expand this further in the future,” PM Modi added.

Noting that Seychelles is a leader in advancing the concept of the Blue Economy, PM Modi said: “We also believe that the Ocean Economy is indispensable to meeting our future challenges.

“President Michel and I have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group to expand our cooperation on the Blue Economy. This cooperation will increase our understanding of marine ecology and resources. We will improve our ability to harness new possibilities of the ocean in a sustainable and balanced manner.
This is a major step in advancing our scientific and economic cooperation,” he pointed out.

PM Modi also expressed the hope that Seychelles will soon be a full partner in the maritime security cooperation between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

With regard to the visa waiver PM Modi announced that free visas for three months will be granted to the citizens of Seychelles. “We will also extend to you the facility of visa-on-arrival,” he added.

Leaving State House PM Modi headed to Ma Josephine at La Misère where he unveiled a commemorative plaque and press a button to switch on and launch the coastal surveillance radar system.

Nilesh K. Georges, technical advisor at the Seychelles Coast Guard, said the surveillance radar is the first of several others to be installed on several islands including Farqhuar, Astove  and Assumption and they are expected to be commissioned between July and August.