NEW DELHI: Vice-President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha C. P. Radhakrishnan on Thursday met a parliamentary delegation from the Republic of Seychelles, led by Azarel Ernesta, Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles, at Parliament House in New Delhi. The meeting focused on strengthening parliamentary cooperation and further deepening the longstanding friendship between India and Seychelles.

The Vice-President conveyed his greetings to the government and people of Seychelles on the country's 50th anniversary of Independence and congratulated Ernesta on becoming the first woman Speaker of the Seychelles National Assembly. He noted that 2026 is particularly significant for bilateral relations as India and Seychelles are also commemorating 50 years of diplomatic relations.

Radhakrishnan recalled his visit to Seychelles in October 2025 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Patrick Herminie, which was his first overseas visit as Vice-President of India. He also highlighted the high-level exchanges between the two countries this year, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Seychelles in June for its 50th National Day celebrations and President Herminie's State Visit to India in February.

The Vice-President also referred to India's announcement of a USD 175 million special economic package for Seychelles, describing it as an important step towards strengthening the two countries' development and security partnership.

During the interaction, Radhakrishnan highlighted India's experience in modernising and digitising parliamentary functioning, including paperless proceedings, simultaneous interpretation, digital archives and capacity-building initiatives. He offered to facilitate study visits and customised training programmes for members and officials of the Seychelles National Assembly.

The discussions also underlined the importance of people-to-people relations. Radhakrishnan highlighted the contribution of the Indian diaspora in Seychelles, including the Gujarati and Tamil communities, in strengthening cultural and social links between the two countries.

The visit comes at a significant juncture in India-Seychelles relations, with both nations celebrating five decades of diplomatic ties. India and Seychelles share close cooperation across areas including maritime security, development partnership, capacity building and people-to-people contacts.

Radhakrishnan expressed confidence that the visit of the Seychelles parliamentary delegation would provide fresh momentum to parliamentary exchanges and bilateral cooperation, further strengthening the close and enduring partnership between the two countries.