New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held wide-ranging talks with Seychelles President Dr. Patrick Herminie, reaffirming India’s commitment to deepening its strategic, developmental, and maritime partnership with the Indian Ocean nation during the latter’s State visit to India.
Herminie is on a State visit to India from February 5 to 10 at the invitation of Modi. The visit, coming just over 100 days after Herminie’s inauguration, coincides with the 50th anniversary of Seychelles’ Independence and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
During their meeting on Monday, Modi congratulated Herminie on his electoral victory in October 2025 and underlined that India and Seychelles share a “special and time-tested partnership” rooted in historical ties, shared democratic values, and maritime cooperation. Both leaders noted that the relationship plays a stabilising role in the Western Indian Ocean Region, according to an official statement.
The PM reiterated Seychelles’ importance in India’s vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. He emphasised that India’s engagement with Seychelles remains people-centric and focused on security, stability, and inclusive development.
Reflecting India’s development partnership with Seychelles, Modi announced a Special Economic Package of USD175 million, comprising a USD125 million rupee-denominated Line of Credit and USD50 million in grant assistance. The package will support development projects, capacity building, maritime security, and defence cooperation.
Herminie acknowledged India’s longstanding support through grants, credit lines, and high-impact community development projects, and described India as a trusted and reliable partner in Seychelles’ national development journey.
The two leaders unveiled a Joint Vision for Sustainability, Economic Growth, and Security through Enhanced Linkages, signalling a roadmap for cooperation across sectors.
On digital cooperation, Modi highlighted India’s experience in Digital Public Infrastructure and agreed to assist Seychelles in digitising governance systems, including digital payments, tailored to the country’s requirements.
In the health sector, Herminie thanked Modi for India’s donation of 10 ambulances and 1,000 metric tonnes of food grains, a move aimed at strengthening emergency healthcare services and food security in Seychelles. Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in public health, including training in mental health, deputation of Indian medical professionals, collaboration on affordable medicines, and support for the construction of a new hospital.
Modi also underscored India’s commitment to capacity building through expanded training programmes for Seychellois civil servants, defence personnel and professionals under initiatives such as ITEC and the National Centre for Good Governance.
