Stalled India-Seychelles naval facility deal will outlive any opposition: President Faure to WION

By Amitabh Pashupati Revi

The Seychelles-India agreement to build a naval facility on Assumption Island may be stalled because of the African country's domestic politics but President Danny Faure, in an exclusive interview to WION, indicated that it would outlive any opposition.

President Faure's in-depth interaction with WION at the State House in the capital, Victoria, comes ahead of his first state visit to New Delhi this month.

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About the naval facility, President Faure told WION: “I think the relationship between India and Seychelles will go beyond our time and politicians as it is a relationship between two people.”

He took questions about the opposition stalling the deal, telling WION "I think they have expressed themselves openly in parliament and out of parliament and in my meeting with them they have expressed themselves clearly so I understand the position."

“India has been with Seychelles through good times and bad,” President Faure said, adding, “Over the last 40 years since our independence we realised that with the vast Exclusive Economic Zone that we have, which is practically the size of South Africa and twice the size of Madagascar, on our own it was not possible for us to build capacity and to have the necessary assets. So, India as our neighbour, as a good friend of ours and based on the partnership that we have, India has been with Seychelles, along with Seychelles in good times and in bad times. We have received a technical cooperation in defence and in security, and because of the support that we have received from India we have been able over the years to build our own defence forces.”

The Seychelles-India deal was initially reached in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Victoria. The deal is for India to build, maintain and operate a maritime facility on AssumptionIsland. The island is strategically located on key Indian Ocean routes and will give — if and when set up — New Delhi a position on vital lanes. The deal has to be ratified by the Seychellois National Assembly but it is stuck since the Opposition controls the Parliament.

The President admitted the deal is on hold, telling WION, “Although there has been an agreement, I have decided not to submit the agreement to the National Assembly for ratification because I have received the signals that it won’t go (through). So, as we speak, there is the agreement that it won’t go before our National Assembly, but it doesn’t mean that the ambition of my government, my administration for us to have a coast guard facility on Assumption does not remain."