Victoria (Gurpreet Singh): Delivering a historic address to an Extraordinary Sitting of the National Assembly of Seychelles, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly advocated for climate justice, asserting that the Global South, and particularly small island nations, bear the most severe impacts of global climate change despite contributing the least to it. Speaking on Sunday, June 28, 2026, during his high-profile three-day State Visit to the archipelagic nation, Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the house, calling for global climate action anchored firmly in fairness, responsibility, and equity.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the damaging effects of shifting environmental patterns are no longer distant threats but are already starkly visible across global coastlines, fragile marine ecosystems, unpredictable weather systems, and vulnerable coastal communities. Reiterating New Delhi’s commitment to protecting developing nations on international platforms, Modi declared that those with the smallest ecological footprints must not be forced to shoulder the heaviest burdens of environmental degradation. He assured the assembly that India will continue to work side-by-side with Seychelles to amplify the concerns of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at major global forums, ensuring their voices receive the structural attention they deserve.
Advancing India’s strategic “Vision MAHASAGAR”—which focuses on collective maritime security and holistic growth across regions—the Prime Minister re-contextualized the geography of the Western Indian Ocean. Modi stated that the ocean serves as a bridge of shared history rather than a barrier between the two democracies, describing Seychelles not merely as a small island state, but as a “large ocean country” commanding a vast maritime domain of nearly 1.4 million square kilometers. He lauded the host nation for its pioneering role in implementing sustainable maritime economic frameworks long before the concept entered standard global governance dialogues, praising its innovative financial mechanisms such as Blue Bonds.
The milestone address capped off a day of intense diplomatic engagements in Victoria, where Prime Minister Modi held wide-ranging official talks with Seychelles President Dr. Patrick Herminie. Marking fifty years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, India announced a substantial Special Economic Package featuring a Line of Credit worth 1,250 crore INR alongside agreements to establish Unified Payments Interface (UPI) systems, space technology sharing, and maritime security surveillance. To further cement bilateral ties, the Prime Minister proposed a sweeping expansion of joint initiatives covering sustainable fisheries, marine research, coastal zone management, digital transformation, renewable energy grids, and eco-tourism.
