The new High Commissioner of India to Seychelles, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, presented his credentials to President Danny Faure at State House this morning.

President Faure congratulated High Commissioner Sayeed on his appointment and wished him all the best in his important tasks ahead. He said that Seychelles and India have a long-standing relationship and that India is an instrumental partner in realizing its aspirations in further development.

The President and the High Commissioner discussed several fields of cooperation such as maritime security, education, agriculture, health, housing, renewable energy, capacity-building, infrastructures, information technology, hydrography, science and technology, environmental conservation, climate change, and the Blue Economy.

After the accreditation ceremony High Commissioner Sayeed told the national media that India considers Seychelles a very important strategic partner, consolidated by a long standing relationship based on mutual trust.

“My broad aim is to bring the bilateral level forward and build on what has already been put in place. I will be concentrating on the Blue Economy to see how both countries can best utilise the marine resources, continue our collaboration on the existing strategic and the defence cooperation, and focus on the culture and education and people-to-people contact. Seychelles and India have similarities, one of them is the youthful population of Seychelles and of India, and there are many things that we can do to link up the youths together,” said High Commissioner Sayeed.

Also present at the meeting was the Secretary of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Barry Faure, Diplomatic Advisor to the President, Ambassador Callixte D’offay, Defence Advisor to the High Commissioner, Captain Mahesh Mangigudi, Chief of Protocol and Presidential Affairs, Mrs Jaqueline Moustache-Belle and First Secretary at the Indian Embassy, Mr Sankara Subbu.