Seychelles holds priority for India in Covid fight: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday assured Seychelles’ newly elected Indian-origin President Wavel Ramkalawan that the key Indian Ocean nation holds a “particular priority” for India in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, as he discussed with him ways to further strengthen the bilateral ties, including close security cooperation.

Jaishankar reached the island nation after his visit to the UAE from November 25-26. He also visited Bahrain as part of this three-nation tour, which began on Tuesday.

“Thank Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan for receiving me today. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi and handed over a personal message,” Jaishankar said in a tweet. “Discussed our close security cooperation, strong development partnership and long-standing people-to-people contacts.”

“Assured him that Seychelles had a particular priority, both under the Neighbourhood First policy and the SAGAR outlook. Look forward to further strengthening our ties under his leadership,” he said.