Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cited the shared ties between India and Seychelles while addressing the island nation’s parliament in Victoria, referring to “samosas, celebration of Deepavali and garbha dance during Navratri”.
Modi, who became the first Indian Prime Minister to address The Seychelles Parliament cited the first Indians to arrive on the island more than 250 years ago, saying their stories had become part of the modern story of the Indian Ocean nation.
“Our friendship did not begin 50 years ago with the establishment of our diplomatic relations. It began much earlier, in August 1770. Five Indians were among those who arrived on the ship Thelmac on St. Possible.”
The Indian Ocean does not separate India and Seychelles. It connects us. “This is why we meet not as strangers, but as old friends,” Prime Minister Modi added.
Prime Minister Modi said that there were only few partnerships that were built on such a deep foundation and growing with such warmth, trust and goodwill as India and Seychelles, and urged them to continue building on this foundation.
“India will remain your trusted partner. We will celebrate your achievements. We will support your aspirations. We will stand by you as friends,” he said in conclusion.
Twentieth speech of the foreign parliament
This was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 20th foreign parliament speech. Shortly after taking office in 2014, he began this journey by addressing the parliaments of Bhutan, Nepal, Australia and Fiji.
The following year, he addressed the National Assembly of Mauritius and the parliaments of Sri Lanka, Mongolia, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan.
The journey continued with Prime Minister Modi’s address to the US Congress in 2016, followed by a second speech in 2023, making him the first Indian Prime Minister to address a joint session of the US Congress twice.
Among these historic engagements, he also addressed the parliaments of Uganda in 2018, the Maldives in 2019, and Guyana in 2024.
The momentum gathered further in 2025, when Prime Minister Modi addressed the national parliaments of Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago and Namibia during his visits in July, which was followed by the joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament in December, underscoring India’s deep engagement with Africa and the Global South.
Earlier this year, on February 25, Prime Minister Modi created history when he became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, during his official visit to Jerusalem.
