New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) Vice President of India, C P Radhakrishnan, will be on a two-day visit to Seychelles starting October 26 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Patrick Herminie, President-elect of the country, on behalf of the Government of India.

During the visit, which is taking place at the invitation of the government of Seychelles, Vice President Radhakrishnan will convey India’s warm felicitations to Herminie and reaffirm the close, longstanding, and time-tested ties between the two countries.

“Seychelles is an important partner under India’s Vision MAHASAGAR and in our commitment to the Global South. The visit underscores India’s deep commitment to further strengthen and expand its partnership with Seychelles,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday.

India’s bilateral engagement with Seychelles is characterised by New Delhi’s historical contacts and continuous support to Seychelles for its security. India-Seychelles relations embody close friendship, understanding and cooperation.

“It was in the year 1770 that a small group of five Indians landed in Seychelles as plantation workers along with seven African slaves and 15 French colonists, and were recorded as the first inhabitants of the Islands,” the MEA states.

Regular trade links facilitated migration of an Indian trading community looking for greener pastures having reached a saturation point in East Africa.

India-Seychelles diplomatic ties were established after the country’s independence in 1976. When Seychelles attained freedom on 29th June 1976, a contingent from the Indian Naval Ship, INS Nilgiri, took part in the Independence Day celebrations. The Indian Mission was established in 1979 in Victoria, with the High Commissioner based in Dar-es-Salaam and concurrently accredited to Seychelles. The first resident High Commissioner was appointed in 1987, while Seychelles opened its resident mission in New Delhi in early 2008.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Seychelles in March 2015, the first by an Indian PM in 34 years, four significant agreements/MoUs were signed including inauguration of the Coastal Surveillance Radar System (CRS) Project, announcements of gifting of a second Dornier aircraft to Seychelles and three-month gratis visa for Seychelles nationals for travel to India.

–IANS

/as