Seychelles president accorded ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Seychelles President James Alix Michel who is on a three-day visit to India was on Wednesday accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan before he headed for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The visit of Michel, who arrived late Tuesday night, comes five months after the two met during Modi's visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Michel is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan and Minister of Finance, Trade and Blue Economy Jean-Paul Adam. A business delegation is also accompanying the visiting president.

Modi visited Seychelles in March 2015, his first destination in the Indian Ocean region after assuming office during which the two sides had inked four agreements to boost security and maritime partnership.

The agreements were for cooperation in hydrography, renewable energy, infrastructure development and sale of navigation charts and electronic navigational charts.

Modi had also announced that India would give a second Dronier aircraft to the Seychelles and also launched the Coastal Surveillance Radar Project.

President Michel's earlier visits to India were in 2005 and 2010, apart from participating in the Delhi Sustainable Development Summits in 2011 and 2012.

Michel is to deliver an address on Maritime Security for Blue Economy at the Indian Council for World Affairs in New Delhi on Thursday, besides addressing a business event.

He will also visit Mumbai where he will meet the Governor of Maharashtra and attend an event organised by Seychelles Tourism Board.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley are to call on the Seychelles president on Wednesday. Michel will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee.