Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Thursday met a parliamentary delegation from Seychelles led by Speaker of the National Assembly Azarel Ernesta at Parliament House and highlighted the longstanding ties between the two countries.
V-P Radhakrishnan conveyed greetings to the government and people of Seychelles on the 50th anniversary of the country’s Independence and congratulated Ernesta on becoming the first woman Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly.
Recalling his close association with Seychelles, the Vice-President remembered his visit to the island nation in October 2025 for the swearing-in ceremony of President Patrick Herminie, which was his first overseas visit as Vice-President of India.
He noted that 2026 has been a significant year for India-Seychelles relations, with both countries marking the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Seychelles in June to participate in its 50th National Day celebrations, while President Herminie paid a State Visit to India in February. Seychelles Vice-President Sebastien Pillay also visited India in February to attend the AI Impact Summit.
V-P Radhakrishnan recalled India’s announcement in February of a USD 175 million special economic package for Seychelles, saying it would further strengthen the development and security partnership between the two countries.
The Vice-President also highlighted India’s efforts to modernise and digitise parliamentary functioning, including paperless proceedings, simultaneous translation, digital archives and capacity-building programmes in areas such as cybersecurity. He offered to share India’s parliamentary expertise with the Seychelles National Assembly through study visits and customised training programmes.
Emphasising the importance of people-to-people ties, V-P Radhakrishnan highlighted the role of the Indian diaspora in Seychelles, particularly the Gujarati and Tamil communities, as a bridge between the two countries.
He also noted that Speaker Ernesta regularly practises yoga, describing it as another symbol of the close people-to-people relationship between India and Seychelles. He expressed confidence that the parliamentary delegation’s visit would provide fresh momentum to cooperation between the two institutions.
