Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist July 2018 | Page 4

VISITOR'S BOOK
PRESIDENT OF
SEYCHELLES
H.E. DANNY FAURE,
ARRIVED IN INDIA
ON 22ND JUNE ON
A 5-DAY STATE VISIT
H
is Excellency Mr. Danny Faure, President of the
Republic of Seychelles, paid a state visit to India
from 22-27 June, 2018 at the invitation of the
President of India. He was accompanied by a high level
delegation comprising two Cabinet Ministers, four Secretaries
of State and other senior offi cials of the Government of
Seychelles. A business delegation also accompanied the
President on the visit.
Upon his arrival in New Delhi, President Danny Faure was
accorded a ceremonial welcome, including inspection of a
Guard of Honour at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
President Faure also paid a visit to Rajghat to pay tributes to
Mahatma Gandhi.
Over the course of the 5-day visit, President Danny Faure
visited four cities - Panaji (Goa), Ahmedabad (Gujarat),
Dehradun (Uttarakhand), besides New Delhi.
The state visit is part of regular high level exchanges
between India and Seychelles, and accorded an opportunity to
both sides to review their wide-ranging bilateral cooperation,
including in the fi elds of defence and security and development
partnership. The visit assumed special importance because
it came days after the Seychelles Parliament blocked a joint
project between the two countries to develop a naval base at
the African nation’s Assumption Island. India was keen on
developing the Assumption Island as a naval base to expand
its footprint in the strategically-key region where China has
been trying to enhance its military presence. The agreement
on the Assumption Island between India and Seychelles was
fi rst signed in 2015, during PM Modi’s visit to the country.
President Faure met with the President of India, as well as
held delegation level talks with the Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi, on the wide-ranging areas of cooperation
between the two countries, including defence and security.
He also met with the Vice President and the External Affairs
Minister, and gave an address at the India-Seychelles Business
Forum.
During the visit, the two countries signed six Memorandums
of Understanding (MoUs), including Indian assistance for
implementation of small development projects, cooperation in
cyber security, technical agreement on sharing white shipping
information, etc.
New Delhi and Victoria have traditionally had healthy
bilateral relations, which have strengthened over the years.
India has been an important defence partner for Seychelles,
characterised by Indian supplies of defence equipment
(60 percent of Seychelles' defence equipment is procured
from India), joint military exercises, etc. Indian defence
equipment supplied to Seychelles have included naval ships
and Dornier aircraft. Further, India gifted and installed
six coastal surveillance radar systems in Seychelles in
2015, enabling better coastal security for Seychelles. The
Indian Navy has also periodically undertaken patrolling of
Seychelles’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at the request
of their government.
India also announced a $100 million Line of Credit to
Seychelles for augmenting its defence capabilities. The LoC
will allow Victoria to acquire defence assets and equipment
from India to enhance its defence capabilities and capacities
to monitor and protect Seychelles’ 1.3 million square km
EEZ. In the same vein, New Delhi also handed over a second
Dornier aircraft to President Faure to augment Seychelles’
maritime surveillance capability.
In a goodwill gesture, Seychelles gifted a pair of giant
Aldabra Tortoises to India, which was received by PM Modi
who called it a symbol of the ever-lasting friendship between
the two countries. 
4 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 7 • July 2018, Noida