MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar in his statement said, “India is executing the Assumption Island project on the request of Seychelles government.” He also said the project is in joint partnership between India and Seychelles.
A day after the alleged India-Seychelles security agreement text leaked on the internet, the Indian government issued a statement refuting the reports. On Friday, the Indian government asserted the India-Seychelles project on Assumption Island is a “joint project” aiming at helping the country to secure an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEC).
The official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs on Friday clarified that the pact between India-Seychelles was categorically economic. Raveesh Kumar in his statement said, “India is executing the Assumption Island project on the request of Seychelles government.” He also said the project is in a joint partnership between India and Seychelles.
He further asserted that the purpose of this project was to help Seychelles to secure an EEZ. He said the ownership of said facility will be with Seychelles. However, it will be jointly managed by both India and Seychelles.
The details of the security pact signed between India and Seychelles have leaked online, creating panic in the Indian government. A video allegedly of India-Seychelles security agreement has surfaced on a video-sharing site YouTube which includes the details such as facilities, location etc. The video even includes maps of the proposed security facilities among other leaked information.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Seychelles, an island situated in the Indian Ocean in 2015 where several security agreements were signed between the two countries. This security pact is a crucial maritime strategy for India to counter China’s endeavours in the Indian Ocean.
In January 2018, the outgoing Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had also visited the island country to renegotiate certain deals in the pact. The revised pact is said to be more detailed than the 2015 pact.
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