The President of Seychelles, Patrick Herminie, arrived in Chennai on Thursday on his first State visit to India since assuming office in October 2025.
The visit, which will continue until February 10, coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
In a post on X, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said: “Commemorating 50 years of longstanding and multifaceted India-Seychelles bilateral ties. Warm welcome to President Dr. Patrick Herminie of Seychelles as he arrives in Chennai for his first State visit to India.”
President Herminie, who was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will also meet the President, Droupadi Murmu, and hold discussions with the Prime Minister on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest.
In Chennai and Mumbai, the island nation’s premier would be attending business events.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted in a statement that Seychelles is a key maritime neighbour for India in the Indian Ocean region, and therefore holds a special place in India’s Vision MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) and the country’s commitment to the Global South.
“The visit of President Herminie to India, following the visit of the Vice President of India to Seychelles in October 2025, is expected to lend further momentum to wide-ranging cooperation and robust people to people ties between the two countries,” the MEA statement read.
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President Herminie was sworn in as the sixth President of Seychelles at a ceremony held at Unity Stadium in Victoria in October, 2025. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Vice President, CP Radhakrishnan. Both leaders had also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed their shared vision for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region.
India’s bilateral engagement with Seychelles is characterised by historical contacts going back to 1770, when a small group of five Indians landed in the country as plantation workers along with seven African slaves and 15 French colonists. They were recorded as the first inhabitants of the Islands.
During the British colonial period, Seychelles was governed from the Bombay Presidency for some time, with regular shipping links and flow of goods and essential commodities from India. Today, India-Seychelles relations embody close friendship, understanding and cooperation.
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