Amid China's bid to step up ties with Seychelles, India has signed three pacts with the Indian Ocean archipelago nation to combat piracy by supplying coastal surveillance radar systems and Dornier aircraft.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Seychelles counterpart Jean-Paul Adam held wide-ranging discussions on international, regional and bilateral issues and took stock of the current status of the ties between the countries, including security cooperation.
Expanding counter-piracy cooperation figured prominently during the talks, even as India reiterated its commitment to continue its support to Seychelles for its security, development, and in its capacity building efforts, the external affairs ministry said.
"Both sides emphasized the need to continue joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Seychelles and anti-piracy surveillance to ensure safety of the Indian Ocean region," said the ministry.
"Other areas of cooperation discussed include trade and investment, culture, hydrocarbon sector, and fisheries. Both sides emphasized the need to continue joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Seychelles and anti-piracy surveillance to ensure safety of the Indian Ocean region,” it said.
Both sides also discussed the regional situation and matters pertaining to Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU).
Apart from the memorandum of understanding to supply the coastal surveillance radar systems, the two sides also signed an agreement for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to supply a Dornier aircraft to Seychelles.
India has already deployed one of its naval Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft in Seychelles for helping that country in anti-piracy operations.
The visit of Seychelles foreign minister comes less than a fortnight after President James Alix Michel visited Delhi for the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.
During that visit, the two sides focused on security issues, piracy and ways to expand developmental cooperation between the two countries.
The leader of Seychelles had briefed India about new developments, including the context in which Seychelles last year offered China its harbour for use to refuel and stocking of Chinese warships stationed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations.
This set the alarm bells ringing in New Delhi, but Beijing later clarified that it will not be a military base, but just a refueling and supply facility.
Defence cooperation between India and Seychelles, the strategically-located island state, has been growing. |