India bags infrastructure development rights for 2 islands in Seychelles, Mauritius

India has bagged infrastructure development rights for two islands in the Indian Ocean region during the on-going tour of the region by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, local media said Thursday.

The two islands, Agalega of Mauritius and Assumption of Seychelles, are in the two nations Modi visited over the past two days.

The understanding to allow India to develop these islands is of huge strategic significance for India, local daily The Times of India quoted Indian officials as saying.

"The development rights for the two islands had been discussed for months before these were successfully concluded during Modi's visit in a sign that 'Indian Ocean was going to be India's Ocean', " the newspaper quoted unidentified officials as saying.

"Our agreement today on the development of infrastructure in the Assumption Island (Seychelles) gives a strong boost to this partnership," said Modi in a statement, adding that the ocean economy was indispensable to meeting India's future challenges.

Modi also launched a Coastal Surveillance Radar Project during the visit to the Seychelles, a former French island colony located off the African continent in western Indian Ocean.

During his visit, India also signed an MoU with Mauritius for setting up and upgrading infrastructure for improving sea and air connectivity at the outer island of Mauritius "which will go a long way in ameliorating the condition of the inhabitants of this remote Island."

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said these facilities are also expected to enhance the capabilities of the Mauritian defense forces in safeguarding their interests in the island nation. Endi