Original Documents of Military Pact Between India And Seychelles Leaked

On 6 March, details of the security deal between India and Seychelles government surfaced on Internet raising alarms in both the nations. The security breach revealed the original agreement of a proposed joint plan to build military infrastructure on the Assumption island in the western Indian Ocean.

While the Seychelles government launched an enquiry in this regard, so far no official statement has been released from the Indian side. Seychelles Vice President Vincent Meriton told the press that whoever shared the plans has breached the secrecy act and the Constitution.

In January, both the governments signed a 20-year agreement which enables the construction of military infrastructures on the Assumption Island. This agreement is a revision to the one that was earlier signed in March 2015. Reportedly, both these agreements were made available by the leak supposedly by some Seychelles official. The leaked documents also contained the Detailed Project Report commissioned by India revealing the site drawings of the airfield and other installations.

Earlier, some groups of Seychellians raised concerns over the proposed project. In Clarification, on March 6, Seychelles President Danny Faure told the national assembly: “Assumption belongs to Seychelles and Seychellois. Land on Assumption has not been sold or leased to the Government of India.”

However, as the crucial military agreement is in the public domain now, the two nations might proceed to re-structure the complete plan, leading to further delay of the project. Incidentally, Seychelles President Danny Faure is scheduled to visit India to attend the first International Solar Alliance summit in Delhi on March 1.

What is the military agreement all about?

The Assumption island is one of the 115 islands in the Seychelles archipelago located in the western Indian Ocean. In March 2015, during the official visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the island nation, an agreement to set up a military infrastructure base in the Assumption island was signed between the two nations. Following this, the agreement had been re-negotiated and adding a number of concerns from the Seychelles side, a revised agreement was signed in January 2018.

Accordingly, this would strengthen India’s maritime strategy improvising surveillance on China’s moves in the Indian Ocean, simultaneously, Seychelles will be provided with assistance in military capabilities such as control and maritime surveillance of the islands.

With this unprecedented leak, the project which has been dragged for the last three years, will nevertheless, get further delayed.