PM Modi's Seychelles visit important, he's doing excellent work: Official

Seychelles officials lauded PM Narendra Modi's visit, calling it 'very important' for their 50th anniversary. They praised Modi's 'excellent work' and called for deeper cooperation in tourism, culture, climate resilience, and the blue economy.

Sylvanne Lydie Lemiel, Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly of Seychelles, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in Seychelles is important because the country shares a long-standing friendship with India. In a conversation with ANI, Lemiel said that India has a good Prime Minister who has held this office for a long time and is doing excellent work. She said, "This is very important for us in Seychelles because we share a long-standing friendship with India. It is very special for us to have Prime Minister Modi here in Seychelles on our 50th anniversary... On the occasion of our 50th anniversary, I would like to tell the people of India to live in peace, always embrace the best values, and continue to offer great cooperation. I believe you have a good Prime Minister who has held this office for a long time and is doing excellent work. I feel he is doing good work for India, for the Indian Ocean region, and for Seychelles."

Deepening Bilateral Cooperation

Lemiel said, "As we look ahead, we must continue to deepen our parliamentary and institutional cooperation, while embracing new opportunities in climate resilience, the blue economy, renewable energy, digital transformation and innovation. We also welcome India's vision of Mahasagar, mutual and holistic advancement for security and growth across regions, which resonates strongly with Seychelles' own commitment to cooperation, stability and sustainable development across the Indian Ocean... May the next 50 years of Seychelles-India relations be marked by even greater friendship, shared prosperity and cooperation for the benefit of our peoples and our region."

Boosting Tourism and Cultural Ties

Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Amanda Bernstein noted that India is one of their top 10 markets for visitors to Seychelles and with Prime Minister Modi's visit, maybe more Indians will get curious about this destination. She said, "This is an incredibly important visit. We're so honored to have Prime Minister Modi here in Seychelles with us. We're celebrating 50 years of bilateral relations with India and 50 years of independence. So it really is a wonderful time to be celebrating such wonderful partnerships that we have... India is one of our top 10 markets for visitors to Seychelles. I'm pretty sure now with Prime Minister Modi's visit, maybe more Indians will get curious about this destination. Seychelles has so much to offer. We have diverse landscape, beautiful mountains and beaches, diversity of culture as well."

She added, "We have an excellent relationship with India when it comes to cultural exchange...We're certainly growing our corporation in numerous areas when it comes to learning from one another and the great expertise that India has."

Strengthening Film and Creative Collaborations

Bernstein said they are hoping to strengthen collaborations with the creative industries. "Of course, we are partnering with them with a number of different initiatives. We have dance groups, musicians, and I'm really hoping that we're gonna strengthen our collaboration in the film industry as well. We've had Bollywood films filmed here. So I'm really hoping that we can strengthen those collaborations with the creative industries," she said. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)