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Seychelles stalls project for Indian naval base
Why it is in news?
- The Seychelles National Assembly will not ratify India’s plans to build a naval base in the western Indian Ocean region.
- Officials of the Seychelles government announced the decision when the country’s President, Danny Faure, arrived in India on a six-day state visit.
- The state visit of President Faure is part of regular high-level exchanges between India and the Seychelles and will accord an opportunity to review the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation, including in the fields of defence and security and development partnerships.
Concerns
- Seychelles has indicated that instead of allowing India to run the base, it would like to develop a coast guard facility at the Assumption.
- The Indian project was to include a facility for Indian ships and an airstrip that would allow New Delhi to guard the energy lanes vital to India’s economy.
- The Opposition members in the Seychelles National Assembly argued against allowing India to build a naval base on the strategically located Assumption island, saying it would infringe on the country’s sovereignty.
- The government said the proposal to seek ratification of the project would not be presented to National Assembly as the Opposition had already said it would not clear it.
- The National Assembly’s decision follows several protests by civil society activists in the archipelago nation who have urged the government to remain non-aligned and avoid tilting
- towards either India or China.
Source
The Hindu