The recent development in Seychelles against Indian plan to build a Naval Base there signals a failure in store for the government in New Delhi. The refusal by the opposition in Seychelles comes after a total three years of a landmark deal reached between the two governments during the Prime Ministers’ visit back in March 2015.
America as well as Indian neighbor, China have island assets in the region close to Seychelles. The agreement was all about enabling India to help Seychelles build military infrastructure there for the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) on Assumption Island. The confirmation would have made India’s relationship with Seychelles truly strategic in the course of its orientation.
For some or the other reasons or due to some bureaucratic hurdles from the Seychelles side, the confirmation over the deal was reached in the Seychelles parliament during the term of the previous president, James Michel. After President Danny Faure coming to power in the highest office of Seychelles in October 2016, renewed talks were held between the countries and Seychelles was considering to look into the matter again to enable building of a military infrastructure on Assumption island.
The government of India sent Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar after an unannounced visit to Seychelles in October 2017, to overcome the effect of the deal being running into trouble. Jaishankar held a meet with Faure. During the meet, many differences were sorted out, the country’s Attorney-General Frank Ally was quoted as saying that ‘India will again be given access to the facility as well as other friendly countries in the region, but it will not be used to transport or keep nuclear arms’. This official stance of Seychelles’ government was incorporated during re-negotiated agreement.
The re-negotiated agreement was at last signed by Jaishankar in January this year during his Seychelles visit. The main objective of the agreement is to provide a framework for assistance to Seychelles Island by India, by helping enhance the military capabilities and maritime surveillance of the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), protection of the EEZ and the other outer islands and search and rescue in the region.
Jaishankar had said in a statement: “India and Seychelles have drawn up a cooperation agenda that covers within its purview shared efforts in anti-piracy operations and enhanced EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) surveillance and monitoring to prevent intrusions by potential economic offenders indulging in illegal fishing, poaching, drug and human trafficking.” Underlining the importance of the project, Faure declared that it “attests to the kinship and affinity that exists between our two countries.”
Unfortunately for India, the controversy did not die even after signing of the agreement. So-called copies of the agreement were leaked online in the month of March, claiming that the Seychelles government had sold off Assumption Island to India. As per an assumption, the documents were leaked by an insider from the government, a day before the president asked the parliament to ratify the revised agreement. Faure had to clarify in the parliament regarding the deal that, “land on Assumption has not been sold or leased to the government of India… Assumption belongs to Seychelles and Seychellois.
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