Seychelles at 50: A new phase in a strategic Indian Ocean partnership

PRime government minister Narendra Modi’s see to republic of seychelles from June 27 to 29, the number one by an amerind Prime Minister in 11 years, is more than a ceremonial celebration of anniversaries. It reflects the growing strategic importance of the western Indian Ocean and recognition that India’s partnership with a Large Ocean State in its immediate neighbourhood serves the maritime security interests of both India and Seychelles.The visit marks two milestones: the fiftieth anniversary of Seychelles’ independence and of India–Seychelles diplomatic relations. PM Modi will attend Seychelles’ National Day celebrations and address an Extraordinary Sitting of its National Assembly. President Patrick Herminie’s State Visit to India in February 2026, followed so quickly by this return visit, signals strong political momentum.The relationship is one I know from practically its birth. Assigned to the Indian High Commission in Kenya in 1979 to learn Kiswahili, I was additionally entrusted with handling our relations with Seychelles, which had become independent in 1976. This led to numerous visits to friendly Seychelles, an informal, welcoming and beautiful country. I was reminded on my first arrival that Seychelles was a no-tie zone. Arrival flight manifests were published in the local newspaper, and I quickly learnt that the first priority after checking into my hotel was not unpacking; it was strolling down the main street of Victoria, greeting as many friends as I could, or having my ear tweaked the next day! Official conversations were warm and genuinely good-neighbourly. Exchanges with the Seychellois leadership reinforced the case for quickly opening a resident Indian mission in Victoria, which followed soon afterwards. Security and maritime cooperation were important factors in opening our High Commission in Victoria in 1979.Decades of steady cooperation have followed. Indian Lines of Credit have since financed transport, judicial and digital infrastructure, renewable energy and community projects. Capacity-building under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme and others has reached over one per cent of the Seychellois population, one of the highest per-capita rates anywhere.During President Herminie’s February visit, India announced a Special Economic Package of USD 175 million to Seychelles. The two sides also adopted Joint Vision SESEL, a roadmap for Sustainability, Economic Growth and Security through Enhanced Linkages, spanning renewable energy, the blue economy, digital governance, healthcare and maritime surveillance. The projects to be e-inaugurated during this visit will begin translating SESEL from an ambitious framework into practical deliverables.Seychelles has pioneered innovative approaches to ocean stewardship. A 115-island archipelago with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.3 million square kilometres, it has championed the identity of ‘Large Ocean States’ as stewards of vast marine spaces, biodiversity reserves and climate governance. Seychelles became, in 2018, the first country to issue a sovereign Blue Bond, raising funds for sustainable marine and fisheries projects. A debt-for-nature swap converted part of its sovereign debt into ocean conservation funding. In exchange, Seychelles has protected nearly one-third of its EEZ from industrial activities, including oil exploration and unregulated fishing. Seychelles is an exemplary partner for India, whose own maritime strategy increasingly links security with sustainable ocean governance.Maritime security anchors our expanding relationship and gives it long-term strategic logic. Seychelles sits astride critical sea lanes of communication near the Mozambique Channel, through which a significant share of global trade and energy shipments transit. With limited surveillance capabilities, Seychelles has relied on India as its partner of first choice against piracy, drug trafficking, illegal fishing and other transnational threats.A centrepiece of PM Modi’s visit will be the handover of a Fast Patrol Vessel to the Seychelles Coast Guard. India has earlier provided two Dornier maritime patrol aircraft, patrol boats and embedded defence personnel serving alongside Seychellois forces. These reflect a steady build-up of an integrated maritime presence, with Indian and Seychellois assets operating in coordination.In the defence context, the eleventh edition of Exercise LAMITYE, held in March 2026, was elevated for the first time to the tri-service level. Seychelles participates in our multilateral exercises MILAN and PRAGATI and has conveyed its intent to join the Colombo Security Conclave as a full member. Maritime cooperation that began as donor-recipient capability transfer in the 1980s has matured into a shared operational responsibility for security in the western Indian Ocean.This is what Vision MAHASAGAR is designed to consolidate. It places countries like Seychelles at the centre of our maritime strategic thinking. The Indian Ocean is no longer merely one maritime theatre among many. It is the region where India increasingly has to contribute to stability and security. Large Ocean States with substantial maritime spaces and limited surveillance capacity are natural partners in that effort.Meanwhile, piracy in the western Indian Ocean has resurged in recent years. Drug trafficking through the East African corridor has expanded, with Seychelles’ EEZ used for transit. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by distant fleets depletes stocks essential to small island economies. Climate change is altering weather patterns and increasing the frequency of cyclones and extreme events that strain coast guard capacity. India and Seychelles have built those capabilities over decades. Our partnership has evolved steadily rather than being improvised in response to crises.The relationship also rests on deep human links. Five Indians were among the islands’ recorded first inhabitants in 1770. Some 6,000 persons of Gujarati and Tamil descent and 9,000 Indian nationals live in Seychelles, out of a total population of 133,000. PM Modi’s diaspora meet on June 28 and visit to the Navasakti Vinayagar Mandir on June 29 reflect a relationship that runs deeper than inter-governmental cooperation.As geopolitical competition intensifies across the Indian Ocean, India’s influence will depend not on occasional diplomacy but on sustained partnership. Seychelles demonstrates the value of that approach. Five decades of development cooperation have matured the relationship into one of India’s closest, trust-based partnerships.(Ajai Malhotra, distinguished fellow, TERI. Former Indian ambassador to Russia, Kuwait, UN/New York, Romania, Albania and Moldova)