President James Michel has met with the President of India HE Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Presidential Palace in New Delhi, where the President inspected the presidential guard of honor.
The President said that India is a beautiful land, which has a rich tapestry of culture, people, and history, and has praised the progress India has made in the domains of education, information technology, and health.
Following the ceremony, the President held bilateral talks with the Prime Minister of India HE Dr. Manmohan Singh and members of his cabinet to discuss key areas of cooperation and new opportunities for extending the partnership between Seychelles and India.
“India has been our faithful friend and partner since the independence of Seychelles. We share the same ocean and close cultural heritage. India has helped us in our development, in education, health, manpower training, and security matters. Furthermore, India was the first country which came to Seychelles’ assistance in the fight against piracy. We greatly appreciate the continued support of the government and people of India. India is our ideal partner. We need to build bridges to connect our countries and bring our people together,” said President Michel.
Prime Minister Singh said that the President’s visit was a unique opportunity to review cooperation between the two countries in the domains of development aid and security, as well as the development of human resources capabilities of Seychelles. Mr. Singh said that the “very purposeful relationship” between Seychelles and India could be further extended during the visit.
President Michel spoke to Prime Minister Singh about the complexities and challenges of Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean, particularly the effect this problem is having on the Seychelles economy, where fisheries and marine-based tourism are limited by the security threat. President Michel noted that Seychelles could not fight the scourge of piracy alone and that greater commitment is needed by members of the international community.
Prime Minister Singh also said that while India and Seychelles were already cooperating in the fight against piracy, more could be done in this field. Dr. Singh assured the President that India will continue to aid Seychelles in capacity building for the Seychelles Coast Guard, provide technical assistance and equipment, as well as expanding defense relations in the future.
President Michel and Prime Minister Singh also discussed the ways in which Seychelles and India can cooperate in the efforts to fight climate change, particularly in the use of climate-friendly technology to produce energy, such as wind and solar power.
