Jaishankar meets Indian-origin Seychelles Prez Ramkalawan, conveys PM's personal message

India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar called on Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan on November 27. Jaishankar thanked Ramkalawan for meeting with him and said that he conveyed a personal message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Seychelles president. Jaishankar said he assured Ramkalawan that the Indian ocean country holds a place of priority under India's "Neighbourhood First policy" and "SAGAR outlook". 

Read: Seychelles Holds 'particular Priority' For India In Fight Against The COVID-19: Jaishankar

SAGAR mission was launched by India after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in order to assist its neighbours in the Indian ocean. Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka were among the first countries that received help from India to battle the deadly disease. India aims to assist the IOR (Indian Ocean Region) countries with COVID-19 vaccination programme when it is available. 

Read: Jaishankar Reaches Seychelles On Last Leg Of His Three-nation Tour

Discusses ways to strengthen ties

Jaishankar met with the newly-elected President of Indian-origin and discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral ties between both nations. Jaishankar also met with his counterpart Sylvester Radegonde with whom he discussed ways to take forward the close relationship between India and Seychelles. Jaishankar reached Seychelles as part of his three-nation tour that began on Tuesday, November 24. Jaishankar also visited the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain before reaching Seychelles. 

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Ramkalawan was elected as President of Seychelles on October 25 this year, a first such victory for an opposition leader since the country became independent in 1976. Seychelles returned to the multi-party democracy in 1992 and Ramkalawan, whose grandfather was from Bihar, India, became one of the first opposition members in the national assembly. 

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(Image Credit: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)