PM Modi encouraged us to increase bilateral trade: Seychelles High Commissioner
New Delhi, July 4
The High Commissioner of Seychelles to India, Lalatiana Accouche, on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged the archipelago to increase bilateral trade during his recent visit to the country.
"It was a big honour for Seychelles to have Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji last week until Monday on a State Visit and as our guest of honour for the 50th anniversary of independence of Seychelles," the High Commissioner said.
"It has been not only a visit but a way to strengthen further the relations between Seychelles and India, which are based on historical links... it's not only the diplomatic relations, but the people-to-people connectivity," she added.
Terming PM Modi's visit as "very successful", the High Commissioner stated that the country is looking forward to taking action and following up on the visit.
She noted that Seychelles does not produce much and imports mostly everything.
"Prime Minister Modi Ji encouraged us to increase trade and commerce between the two countries and encourage the Indian investors, businessmen to come to Seychelles because, despite Seychelles is small, but the location we have, very strategic location where we can play a big role connecting Africa, Africa is a big market...even the Middle East so don't look at Seychelles as a small nation, but look at the location where we can play a big role in connecting many countries, many continents," High Commissioner Accouche highlighted.
Regarding the future of Seychelles, the High Commissioner said that "we are going to solidify more not only in the business sector but also in people-to-people connections, and I am very happy to be here to witness the strengthening of relations and happy to follow up and happy to work more for that."
On Monday, PM Modi said that his visit to Seychelles has been filled with "substantive outcomes" that will boost ties between the two nations.
Sharing glimpses from his visit on X, PM Modi stated, "My visit to Seychelles has been filled with substantive outcomes that will boost the India-Seychelles friendship. I can confidently say that while the past fifty years of our relationship have been marked by deep trust and shared progress, the next fifty years will be defined by innovation, sustainability and shared prosperity. I am happy to have joined the National Day celebrations and that too during the time when Seychelles marks 50 years of Independence. I thank President Herminie, the Government and people of Seychelles for their affection".
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who follows global trade patterns, I think this is smart. Seychelles is strategically located near major shipping routes. If Indian businesses can set up there, it could reduce our dependency on Middle Eastern hubs for African trade. But we need to ensure real benefits reach Indian SMEs, not just big corporates.
Lovely to see such warm words from the High Commissioner. The 'people-to-people connectivity' part is crucial - our diaspora in Seychelles has always been strong. Hope this translates into easier visa processes and more student exchanges. Indian education and healthcare can do wonders there too! 😊
I am cautiously optimistic. We've heard similar promises about other small nations before - Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka. The actual trade numbers rarely match the diplomatic rhetoric. Let's see concrete MOUs and investment figures before celebrating. But yes, the sentiment is positive.
This is classic Modi diplomacy - charm offensive with smaller nations. Seychelles gets a big brother's attention, India gets strategic access. Win-win. But I hope our navy also gets more docking rights there - Indian Ocean security is paramount given Chinese activities in the region.
What a wonderful gesture to have our PM as chief guest for their 50th independence anniversary! This is how you build lasting ties - respect and mutual benefit. The High Commissioner's words about strategic location connecting Africa and Middle East show they genuinely see value in partnering with India. Meanwhile, what is the opposition doing? Just finding faults as usual.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.