Victoria [Seychelles], October 26 (ANI): Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles Rohit Rathish said on Saturday (local time) that Radhakrishnan's visit to the island nation of Seychelles will strengthen bilateral relations and reaffirm the long history of cultural and historical ties.

'We are honoured that the Vice President of India is visiting Seychelles on the swearing-in of the country's President, and it is a double privilege for us as it is the Vice President's first foreign visit. India and the Seychelles have a long history of bilateral relations and cultural and historical ties. We also share democratic values and a pluralistic society ethos,' the High Commissioner told ANI here.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan's visit to Seychelles aims to boost cooperation and explore new areas, such as Artificial Intelligence. New areas of cooperation, such as AI, will be explored to address Seychelles' needs as a small island developing state.

'This visit by the Vice President of India will be an opportunity for us to examine those areas of cooperation, maybe artificial intelligence, depending on the priorities of the government of Seychelles... I'm sure in the times to come, we will have new signature projects, new initiatives being announced by both sides to strengthen our bilateral partnership,' added the High Commissioner.

India offers short-term courses in IT, renewable energy, audit, and tourism, empowering Seychelles' human resources.

'As part of our engagement with the Global South, there are many initiatives that we work with Seychelles as well, especially in the capacity building area... ITIC program, which gives short-term courses as an option for many of the Global South countries to come to India and train in various sectors, whether it is information technology, renewable energy, audit, tourism... Seychelles has been a very active participant in the past as well in these areas. One of the greatest needs for Seychelles, being a small island developing state, is to build its own capacities. That will be an effort for us to work together on. There are new challenges, both stemming from the vast ocean expanse that Seychelles inhabits, as well as new areas of technology, that we could work together on,' added Rathish.

VP Radhakrishan is set to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Patrick Herminie. The Vice President will also interact with the Indian diaspora, an important group that has maintained strong relations with India, including business ties, while also adding value and prosperity to the island.

Seychelles is an important partner country for the MAHASAGAR initiative, which aims to strengthen maritime security in the Indian Ocean. With the island nation situated in the Indian Ocean and spanning a vast economic zone, the bilateral partnership benefits both countries. The bilateral partnership has been reaffirmed multiple times before, including in 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a landmark visit to Indian Ocean countries and chose Seychelles to be his first destination.

'During Prime Minister Modi's landmark visit to the Indian Ocean countries in 2015, Seychelles was the first country that he visited. For us, it is a great occasion to take stock of our ties and strengthen our bilateral cooperation at this juncture when Seychelles has elected a new government. This is a commitment from the Government of India to strengthen our bilateral partnership,' Rohit Rathish said.

Talking about VP's interaction with the Indian diaspora, he highlighted how the group has been an 'anchor' in the relationship between the countries.

'He (Radhakrishnan) will also have the opportunity to interact with the Indian diaspora here. They have retained cultural ties with India and business ties with India, and they add value and prosperity to this country as well. So they are one of the anchors of our relationship, which is rooted very strongly in historical and cultural ties,' he mentioned.

At the invitation of the Government of Seychelles, the Vice President of India, CP Radhakrishnan, will visit the Republic of Seychelles from October 26-27 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Patrick Herminie, President-elect of the Republic of Seychelles, on behalf of the Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement.

During the visit, the Vice President will convey India's warm felicitations to Patrick Herminie and reaffirm the close, longstanding, and time-tested ties between the two countries.

The visit follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's earlier congratulations to Patrick Herminie on October 12, following his victory in Seychelles' Presidential Elections. Modi had expressed confidence that the long-standing ties between India and the island nation would grow stronger under Herminie's leadership.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the Indian Ocean serves as a 'shared heritage' that connects the people of both countries and supports their aspirations. He said India looks forward to working closely with the new government in Seychelles to enhance cooperation across sectors.

Opposition leader Patrick Herminie emerged victorious in the Seychelles presidential election, defeating incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan in a closely contested runoff, according to official results released early Sunday.

The election commission announced that Herminie secured 52.7 per cent of the vote, while Ramkalawan garnered 47.3 per cent. Herminie, representing the United Seychelles party, returns the political group to power after four years in opposition. (ANI)