PM Modi receives Seychelles’ inaugural Guardian of the Blue Horizon honour.
India and Seychelles expand cooperation in health, space and Blue Economy.
Bilateral agreements strengthen climate action, digital payments and maritime partnership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with a Presidential Distinction, the "Guardian of the Blue Horizon", by Seychelles President Patrick Herminie at a special ceremony, marking the first time the honour has ever been awarded.
The recognition cited Modi's green leadership, his support for developing nations and his long-standing commitment to the Blue Economy, climate action, sustainable ocean management and the development goals of Small Island Developing States.
Modi dedicated the award to all countries committed to environmental conservation and the fight against climate change, noting that the timing, coinciding with fifty years of diplomatic relations between the two nations, would help strengthen what he called a special friendship.
The honour referenced initiatives including the International Solar Alliance, Mission LiFE, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam and the International Big Cat Alliance, and follows earlier recognitions such as the FAO's Agricola Medal, the Seoul Peace Prize and the UN Champion of the Earth award.
Speaking alongside Herminie, Modi said the two countries' health partnership had endured over time, recalling India's vaccine supplies during the Covid pandemic, and pointed to a new memorandum on Jan Aushadhi aimed at providing affordable medicines in Seychelles.
He said cooperation would extend further into clean energy, including green hydrogen, while India would share its expertise in ocean observation and coastal management, given the strategic importance of the Blue Economy to both nations. Agreements were also signed in the space sector and on implementing UPI in Seychelles, alongside continued defence cooperation, which Modi described as deeply interlinked between the two countries.
Modi referred to the Indian Ocean as a shared home, with its security and prosperity a joint responsibility, framing this as the foundation of the MAHASAGAR vision built upon the joint vision agreed during Herminie's visit to India in February.
For his part, Herminie highlighted the inauguration of an India-assisted Professional and Technical Education Centre and three solar water pumping systems under the International Solar Alliance. He said the two sides had concluded agreements spanning foreign service cooperation, digital banking, health, agriculture, seafloor research, extradition, space exploration and the construction of a new national hospital, describing the visit as a landmark moment in bilateral relations.
