New Delhi, February 9 India announced USD 175 million in development assistance to Seychelles on Monday, following extensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the island nation's President Patrick Herminie.
The two sides also agreed on a broad vision to expand cooperation in areas such as sustainability, trade, and security.
Herminie is on a six-day visit to India.
Seychelles is a key maritime neighbor for India in the Indian Ocean Region.
"India and Seychelles are connected not just by geography, but by history, trust, and a shared vision for the future," Modi said in his statement to the media.
The prime minister said that the development partnership has been the strong foundation of India-Seychelles relations.
"All our efforts have been based on Seychelles' priorities and needs. Moving forward in this direction, today we are going to announce a special economic package of USD 175 million," he said.
Modi said that this package will support "concrete projects" in areas such as social housing, mobility, vocational training, health, defense, and maritime security.
In his remarks, Modi also touched upon the people-to-people ties between the two nations.
"The greatest strength of India-Seychelles relations is our people-to-people ties. The Indian community settled in Seychelles has made a remarkable contribution to the social and economic life of Seychelles," he said.
"At the same time, they have also strengthened our friendship from generation to generation," he added.
After today's talks, it is clear that India-Seychelles relations are entering a new phase, he noted.