JOIN USTo counter China, India vows to help boost maritime security of Seychelles
India on Thursday pledged to strengthen the maritime security of Seychelles – an island nation, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is keen to build strategic assets to counter China’s foray into the Indian Ocean region.
Modi formally handed over to Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan a patrol vessel during a virtual summit between the two leaders. The vessel was built by India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineering Limited for Seychelles at a cost of Rs 100 crore. India gifted the ship to the Coast Guard of Seychelles for patrolling the island nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone and combat smuggling and poaching, apart from search and rescue operations.
“India is committed to strengthening the maritime security of Seychelles,” Modi said during the virtual summit with Ramkalawan. “India is honoured to be a partner of Seychelles in the development of its security capabilities and in meeting its infrastructural and developmental needs,” he added, notwithstanding the impasse over New Delhi’s plan to build a naval base at Assumption Island of the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Modi and Ramkalawan on Thursday also inaugurated the building the Government of India constructed to house the court of the magistrates in Mahe, the capital of Seychelles. The Magistrates’ Court building came up just next to the Supreme Court, which Seychelles built in 2013 with financial support from China.
Given the strategic location of the island nation in the Indian Ocean region, India has been over the past few years trying to counter China’s bid to expand its strategic footprints in Seychelles.
The new vessel – ‘PS Zoroaster’ – is the fourth ship gifted by New Delhi to Seychelles, with the other vessels gifted by India to the Indian Ocean nation being PS Topaz, PS Constant and Patrol Boat Hermes, handed over in 2005, 2014 and 2016 respectively. Over 50% of Seychelles’ maritime and air assets and around 70% of capacity development in terms of training, exercise and human resource expertise are provided by India.
Ramkalawan took over as the new President of Seychelles after his predecessor Danny Faure was voted out of the top office in the elections held in October 2020. His ancestors had migrated from Bihar in India to Seychelles.
Modi on Thursday referred to Ramkalawan as a “son of India”, referring to his roots at Parsauni - a village in Gopalganj district of Bihar.
Ramkalawan’s Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) party had earlier stalled the ratification of an agreement Mahe had earlier inked with New Delhi for allowing India to invest $ 550 million to build a naval facility at the Assumption Island of Seychelles. He continued to oppose the project during his campaign ahead of the presidential elections last year.
New Delhi, however, has not yet given up hope for the project as the proposed facility on the Assumption Island of Seychelles will give the Indian Navy an edge in its outreach towards the Western Indian Ocean Region, apart from keeping a tab on the shipping lanes in the vicinity of the island nation, particularly on the growing activities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy in the region.
“Seychelles is central to India's vision of 'SAGAR' - 'Security and Growth for All in the Region',” the Prime Minister said during his virtual summit with the President of the Indian Ocean nation.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was the first foreign dignitary to visit Mahe after the change of guard in Seychelles. He called on Ramkalawan on November 27 and discussed India-Seychelles security cooperation and development partnership. His Chinese counterpart Wang Yi too called on the new President of Seychelles during a visit on January 10.