India says projects in Seychelles guided by host country's priorities

Victoria (Seychelles): India on Sunday said any project it undertakes in Seychelles would be guided by the priorities of the host government and aligned with the interests of the people in the archipelagic country.

Responding to a question at a media briefing here on speculation over India's role on Assumption Island, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the particular issue was not specifically discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing visit to Seychelles.

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But, he said, New Delhi would be "open to hearing about this" should Seychelles government officials raise the matter.

Misri is a member of the delegation which is accompanying Modi on his three-day visit to Seychelles that started Saturday.

"Any project that we undertake in Seychelles or for that matter any foreign country, is ultimately guided by the priorities and the interests of the host government and the authorities in the host country," he said.

Misri said India firmly believes that "any kind of cooperation, development cooperation, security-related cooperation or defence cooperation, must ultimately be aligned with the interests and desires of the people of the country."

"In this case, it must be aligned with the interests and priorities of the government of Seychelles and the people of Seychelles," he said.

The foreign secretary said, "We have not specifically spoken about this during the ongoing visit, but it is something that we would be open to hearing about should the government officials raise this matter."

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Misri said he understood that the Seychelles authorities had "some ideas" about the island.

"I do understand that there are some ideas that the authorities here have about what to do, and if they feel that these are areas in which we can assist them, we would be very happy to do so," he said.

Assumption Island has remained a politically sensitive issue in Seychelles for several years. Earlier proposals concerning development on the island had sparked political debate in the country.

Asked whether India expected anything from Seychelles in return for its development assistance, Misri said the bilateral relationship was "not transactional".

"These are relationships based on respect, based on trust, and based on friendship," he said.

"If you were to, you know, really press me hard and ask me what do I expect, I would say friendship," Misri added.