SEYCHELLES: A SMALL NATION, A GLOBAL VOICE

How President Patrick Herminie’s First Year in Office Has Strengthened Seychelles’ Global Engagement

By Shelda Commettant

Photo: UN Photo/Manuel Elias

VICTORIA, Seychelles — From the shores of the Indian Ocean to the halls of the United Nations, Seychelles has spent the past year demonstrating that influence is not determined by geography or population size. In September, addressing the United Nations General Assembly for the first time as Head of State, President Dr. Patrick Herminie offered a concise description of the country’s international outlook: “We are a friend to all, and an enemy to none. Our commitment to nonalignment is not passive indifference; it is an active choice for peace.”

The statement was more than diplomatic language. It reflected a year in which Seychelles expanded its engagement with countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and beyond, strengthening international relationships while maintaining its longstanding commitment to an independent foreign policy. For a nation of approximately 100,000 people spread across 115 islands, the scale and breadth of that engagement have been notable.

Since President Herminie took office on 26 October 2025, Seychelles has opened its doors to a succession of senior international leaders while strengthening its own diplomatic presence abroad. The inauguration itself set the tone, with India’s Vice President and the Prime Minister of Mauritius among the distinguished guests gathered at Unity Stadium.

In January, President Herminie travelled to Abu Dhabi, where he delivered the keynote address at the Blue Forum during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. A month later, he attended the World Governments Summit in Dubai before undertaking his first State Visit to India. During the visit, Indian officials described Seychelles as “a key maritime neighbour for India in the Indian Ocean region.”

In March, the President made a State Visit to Mauritius, where he received the country’s highest national honour. Later that month, China’s Vice President Han Zheng travelled to Victoria to mark fifty years of diplomatic relations between China and Seychelles. In April, President Herminie travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The diplomatic calendar continued to accelerate. The Golden Jubilee of Seychelles’ Independence in June transformed the island nation into a meeting point for international leaders. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended as Guest of Honour, while China sent a special envoy of President Xi Jinping. Mauritius’ Prime Minister returned to Seychelles for a second visit, and Russian servicemen participated in the National Day parade.

The anniversary year also highlighted the breadth of Seychelles’ international relationships. Japan and the United States marked fifty years of diplomatic relations with the country during the same period. In July, President Herminie travelled to La Réunion as Guest of Honour for France’s National Day. In August, he delivered his first address to the SADC Summit in Durban. Then, in September, came the United Nations General Assembly.

Taken together, the sequence represents a year of sustained diplomatic activity for a country whose physical footprint may be small, but whose strategic position gives it relevance far beyond its shores.

Seychelles occupies a strategically important position in the western Indian Ocean, close to major maritime routes and at the intersection of issues that increasingly shape international cooperation, including maritime security, fisheries, climate resilience, water security and the fight against transnational crime.

President Herminie’s government has sought to translate that geographical position into practical partnerships. India has contributed patrol vessels and maritime surveillance support. The United Arab Emirates has donated desalination plants aimed at strengthening water security on Mahé and Praslin. China has provided new grant financing, while France has supported counter-narcotics operations at sea.

The partnerships span different regions and different strategic interests, yet Seychelles presents them as complementary rather than competing relationships. At the United Nations, President Herminie put that philosophy directly: “Small states like ours do not seek strategic competition; we seek shared solutions.”

That approach places Seychelles within a wider tradition of small states using diplomacy, strategic partnerships and multilateral engagement to protect their interests and expand their international voice.

President Herminie’s international message has also extended beyond bilateral diplomacy. A physician by training and former Speaker of the National Assembly, he has used international platforms to highlight challenges confronting small island states.

At the United Nations, he addressed transnational organised crime, drug trafficking, illegal fishing and climate change — issues with direct consequences for Seychelles and other island nations. For Seychelles, climate change is not an abstract discussion about the future. Environmental pressures, ocean protection and the resilience of island communities are closely connected to the country’s economic and national priorities.

President Herminie called for greater climate ambition and fairer access to finance, placing the concerns of small island developing states within the wider global debate.

Fifty years after independence, Seychelles is entering a new chapter with an international network that stretches well beyond the Indian Ocean. Its relationships now encompass major powers, regional organisations, neighbouring states and international institutions, reflecting a diplomatic strategy built around engagement rather than isolation.

At the centre of that message is a principle expressed by President Herminie during the Golden Jubilee period: “Size does not define sovereignty, and geography does not diminish dignity.”

The statement resonates beyond Seychelles. In a world where geopolitical influence is often measured in military strength, economic scale or population, Seychelles offers another model: a small sovereign state seeking relevance through diplomacy, partnerships, multilateral engagement and a clear voice on the issues affecting its people.

The past year has provided a visible demonstration of that approach. From Victoria to Abu Dhabi, New Delhi, Port Louis, Moscow, Durban and New York, Seychelles has continued to engage the world, maintaining relationships across different geopolitical spheres while asserting its own national interests.

As the country moves beyond its first fifty years of independence, its message remains consistent: a small nation does not need to be a large nation to have a global voice.

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Shelda Commettant, Photo: UN Photo/Manuel Elias