Seychelles hails PM Modi's visit, sees island as key for business

Seychelles High Commissioner Harisoa Lalatiana Accouche hailed PM Modi's successful visit, urging Indian businesses to leverage the island's strategic location as a key pillar to expand their footprint into Africa and West Asia.

Strengthening Bilateral Ties

High Commissioner of Seychelles to India, Harisoa Lalatiana Accouche, on Saturday hailed the successful visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Seychelles and underlined the importance of the island nation as a strategic location for Indian businesses to expand their footprint into Africa and West Asia.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 17th Toy Biz International B2B Expo 2026 in New Delhi, she recalled PM Modi's visit and said, "It was a big honour for Seychelles to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week as our guest of honour for the 50th anniversary of Seychelles' independence celebrations. It was not only a visit but also a way to further strengthen relations between Seychelles and India, which are based on historical links." The envoy underlined how the ties go beyond diplomacy and are also rooted in people-to-people connections. "The visit was a great success, and we look forward to building on it."

A Strategic Gateway for Indian Businesses

Noting that while Seychelles is largely import-dependent, she urged Indian businesses and investors to identify the location as a key pillar to expand trade and commerce. "Seychelles is a small nation; we produce little and import most of what we need. Prime Minister Modi encouraged us to expand trade and commerce between our countries and encouraged Indian investors and businessmen to come to the Seychelles. Despite being small, we are a strategic location in connecting Africa, Asia and the Middle East," Harisoa Lalatiana Accouche said.

"We are going to solidify not only business but people-to-people ties," she added.

Future of India-Seychelles Relations

After concluding this three-day state visit to the East African island nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the past fifty years of diplomatic relations marked by "deep trust and shared progress" between the two nations while noting that the next fifty years of India-Seychelles relations would be defined by "innovation, sustainability and shared prosperity".

During his visit, India and Seychelles also signed 19 memoranda of understanding (MoU) and agreements, including an extradition treaty to combat transnational crime and development assistance. (ANI)

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