The President of the Republic, President Danny Faure, met with the Foreign Secretary for India, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at State House this afternoon.

Dr Jaishankar is in Seychelles as a special envoy of the Prime Minister of India to review the relationship between Seychelles and India and explore prospective opportunities for cooperation.

President Faure welcomed Dr Jaishankar to Seychelles and highlighted that India and Seychelles share a long standing relationship which has stood the test of time. “We are proud to have India as a partner in realizing our development aspirations. We sincerely hope that your visit will reinforce the excellent bond of friendship that exists between our two countries,” said President Faure.

During the meeting, discussions revolved around ways to strengthen the existing strong relations between the two countries, past and future avenues of cooperation such as military and defence, housing, agriculture, and technical assistance in the form of exchange of skills and training.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Dr Jaishankar thanked the President for receiving him and stated that in addition to sharing the same ocean, India and Seychelles are also neighbours and his visit to Seychelles serves as testimony to further enhance the harmonious relationship and further develop cooperation in areas of common interest.

Foreign Secretary Dr Jaishankar was accompanied on his courtesy call to State House by an Indian delegation comprising of the High Commissioner of India, Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Joint Secretary (IOR) for MEA in New Delhi, Mr Sanjay Panda, and First Secretary of the High Commission of India in Victoria, Mr Sankara Subbu.

Also present was the Foreign Secretary of Seychelles, Ambassador Claude Morel, Diplomatic Advisor to the President, Ambassador Callixte D’Offay, and Principal Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Michelle Murray.