India and Seychelles Deepen Parliamentary Ties as Strategic Partnership Gains Momentum

India and Seychelles have moved to strengthen parliamentary and institutional cooperation as Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan met a high-level parliamentary delegation from Seychelles at Parliament House in New Delhi on September 3.

The delegation was led by Azarel Ernesta, Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles. During the meeting, Radhakrishnan highlighted the longstanding friendship between the two Indian Ocean countries and expressed confidence that stronger parliamentary engagement could add another institutional dimension to their rapidly expanding bilateral partnership. He also congratulated Ernesta on becoming the first woman Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly.

The visit comes during a particularly important year for India-Seychelles relations. Seychelles is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence, while the two countries are simultaneously marking 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Radhakrishnan conveyed his greetings to the government and people of Seychelles on the milestone.

Relations have gained considerable momentum during 2026 through a series of high-level engagements. Seychelles President Dr Patrick Herminie undertook a State Visit to India in February, while Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay travelled to India during the same month for the AI Impact Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi subsequently visited Seychelles in June for the country’s 50th National Day celebrations.

Vice President Radhakrishnan also has a personal connection with the island nation. He recalled travelling to Seychelles in October 2025 to attend President Herminie’s swearing-in ceremony. That journey was his first overseas visit after becoming Vice President of India, underscoring the importance New Delhi attaches to the relationship with the strategically located Indian Ocean country.

Parliamentary Cooperation Moves Beyond Ceremonial Exchanges

A notable part of the September 3 meeting was India’s offer to share its experience in modernising parliamentary operations with Seychelles.

Radhakrishnan highlighted reforms undertaken in the Indian Parliament and Rajya Sabha, including paperless proceedings, digital archives, simultaneous interpretation systems and greater use of technology in legislative functioning. India also offered to share expertise through study visits and customised capacity-building programmes for officials and members of the Seychelles National Assembly.

Cybersecurity was identified as another area where Indian experience could support institutional capacity building. As parliaments increasingly rely on digital records, communication networks and electronic legislative systems, protecting such infrastructure has become an important part of modern parliamentary administration.

The cooperation discussed in New Delhi follows an understanding reached by Prime Minister Modi and President Herminie earlier this year to intensify parliamentary exchanges and share best practices in parliamentary proceedings and capacity building. The latest delegation visit therefore represents implementation of a wider political commitment rather than a standalone exchange.

$175 Million Package Broadens India-Seychelles Partnership

Parliamentary cooperation is developing alongside a substantially larger Indian development and security partnership with Seychelles.

During President Herminie’s State Visit to India in February, India announced a $175 million Special Economic Package for Seychelles. The package combines a $125 million rupee-denominated Line of Credit with $50 million in grant assistance and is intended to support development projects, capacity building and security cooperation.

Projects and programmes under the package span areas including social housing, e-mobility, vocational training, healthcare, defence and maritime security. The package reflects India’s approach of developing projects according to priorities identified by the Seychelles government rather than imposing a uniform development model.

During Prime Minister Modi’s June visit to Seychelles, both governments reviewed progress under the package and agreed to deepen cooperation across health, education, digital transformation, renewable energy, social infrastructure, capacity building, defence and maritime security.

The two countries also concluded an umbrella Line of Credit agreement to facilitate priority infrastructure and development projects under the Special Economic Package. Other agreements reached during the visit included cooperation in agriculture and recognition of Indian seafarers’ training and certification for employment aboard Seychelles-flagged vessels.

Seychelles Holds Strategic Importance in the Indian Ocean

Although Seychelles has a relatively small population and land area, its geographic position gives it considerable strategic importance.

The archipelago lies in the western Indian Ocean close to major maritime routes connecting Asia, Africa and the Middle East. India consequently views Seychelles as an important maritime neighbour and a key partner in maintaining security and stability across the region.

The February India-Seychelles Joint Vision described Seychelles as an important pillar of India’s MAHASAGAR — Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions — vision. The two governments have committed themselves to deeper cooperation in maritime security, defence capacity building and regional stability.

Security challenges in the western Indian Ocean include piracy, illegal fishing, narcotics trafficking and other forms of transnational maritime crime. During Modi’s June visit, the two countries specifically discussed cooperation to address these challenges.

India has long supported Seychelles with defence equipment, training and maritime-security assistance. Strengthening the capabilities of smaller Indian Ocean partners complements India’s broader effort to promote a secure maritime environment while maintaining close relationships with island states across the region.

Digital Cooperation Creates Another New Pillar

India and Seychelles are also widening cooperation into digital technology.

During President Herminie’s February visit, the two sides agreed to work on Digital Public Infrastructure, including digital payments. India offered to share experience accumulated through its large-scale digitalisation of public services and financial systems.

During Modi’s subsequent visit to Seychelles, the two countries moved forward with an agreement connected to implementation of India’s Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, in Seychelles. This represents an expansion of the relationship from traditional development assistance into digital public infrastructure and financial technology.

The offer to help digitise parliamentary processes fits into this wider pattern. Rather than limiting bilateral cooperation to infrastructure and defence, India is increasingly sharing institutional and technological capabilities developed through its own digital transformation.

People-to-People Ties Remain an Important Foundation

Radhakrishnan also emphasised the longstanding human links connecting the two countries.

Seychelles has communities of Indian origin, including prominent Gujarati and Tamil communities, whose presence has contributed to trade, culture and social ties over generations. The Vice President described the Indian diaspora as an important bridge between the two countries.

The February India-Seychelles Joint Vision similarly recognised the contributions of Seychellois of Indian heritage to the country’s economic, social and cultural development, while also acknowledging the role played by Indian professionals in Seychelles. Both governments agreed to strengthen exchanges in culture, education, tourism and youth engagement.

These people-to-people connections give the partnership a depth that extends beyond government diplomacy.

Parliamentary Diplomacy Adds a New Institutional Layer

The September 3 meeting demonstrates how India-Seychelles relations are becoming increasingly institutionalised.

Leadership visits provide political direction, while development projects, maritime cooperation and digital initiatives give the partnership practical substance. Stronger interaction between the two legislatures can now provide an additional channel through which officials and lawmakers exchange experience and maintain continuity in the relationship.

For Seychelles, India’s experience in parliamentary digitisation, cybersecurity, capacity building and public administration offers practical opportunities to modernise institutions. For India, stronger engagement with the Seychelles National Assembly reinforces relations with an important maritime neighbour at the centre of the western Indian Ocean.

As the two countries celebrate five decades of diplomatic relations, their partnership is consequently expanding beyond its traditional foundations. Development assistance, maritime security, defence, digital technology, institutional capacity building and parliamentary cooperation are increasingly becoming interconnected elements of a broader strategic relationship.

The visit of Speaker Azarel Ernesta and the Seychelles parliamentary delegation to New Delhi therefore carries significance beyond parliamentary protocol. It reflects a relationship that is steadily becoming deeper, more structured and more diverse as India and Seychelles enter their next five decades of cooperation.

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