PM Modi holds talks with Seychelles president Danny Faure
Talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Danny Faure are underway, during which cooperation in key areas such as defence and security is expected to be discussed. The meeting between the two leaders is going on at Hyderabad House.
Faure, who is on his first bilateral visit to India, was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Modi this morning.
"I am in a great country. The relationship between India and Seychelles is excellent. My presence here is to take this relationship to newer height," said Faure on arrival to Rashtrapati Bhawan.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting leader and discussed with him expanding bilateral cooperation in key areas, including capacity building and human resource development.
"Relationship which is deep-rooted & historical! EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on President of #Seychelles Danny Faure in New Delhi. Good discussion on expanding bilateral cooperation in all areas, specially capacity building, human resource development and people-to-people contacts," Kumar said in a tweet.
Faure, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday after visiting Ahmedabad and Goa, was received by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar.
"Connected by 'SAGAR' Security and Growth for All in the Region! President of Seychelles Danny Antoine Rollen Faure warmly received by MoS @mjakbar at Delhi airport on his first bilateral visit to India," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
Faure landed in Gujarat Friday as part of his six-day India tour.
He visited the Sabarmati Ashram on Saturday, where Mahatma Gandhi lived between 1917 and 1930.
Faure also visited the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIMA), where he held a meeting with the institutes director, Errol DSouza.
The
visit
comes
just
days
after
Faure
said
a
joint
project
with
New
Delhi
to
develop
a
naval
base
at
Assumption
Island
in
his
country
would
not
move
forward.
There
has
been
growing
political
opposition
in
Seychelles
to
an
agreement
it
signed
with
India
in
2015
to
develop
a
naval
facility
at
the
island
which
would
have
given
New
Delhi
a
strategic
advantage
in
the
Indian
Ocean
Region.
During the visit, Faure will also visit Uttarakhand.
Faure's state visit, part of regular high-level exchanges between India and Seychelles, will accord an opportunity to review wide-ranging bilateral cooperation including in the fields of defence and security and development partnership, the MEA had earlier said.
At a press conference on June 4, Faure had said Seychelles will develop military facilities at the island on its own and that the project with India "will not move forward".
He had also said the issue would not be discussed with the Indian leadership during his visit to New Delhi.
India was keen on developing the Assumption Island as a naval base to expand its footprint in the strategically-key region where China has been trying to enhance its military presence.
The agreement on the Assumption Island between India and Seychelles was first signed in 2015 during Modi's visit to that country. An updated version of the original deal was finalised by the two sides earlier this year.
However, opposition leaders in Seychelles came out openly against the agreement after the original document as well as the revised version of it surfaced online in March.