“A Friend to All, an Enemy to None:” Seychelles’ First Year of Principled Diplomacy
Victoria, Seychelles – In September, addressing the United Nations General Assembly for the first time as Head of State, President Dr. Patrick Herminie summed up his country’s place in the world in one sentence: “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.” For Seychelles, those words were not a new doctrine. They described a year the country had already lived.
A Year of Open Doors
Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands and roughly 100,000 people in the western Indian Ocean. In the twelve months after President Herminie took office on 26 October 2025, it welcomed and engaged senior leaders from across the world, at home and abroad.
On inauguration day, India’s Vice President and Mauritius’ Prime Minister were among the guests at Unity Stadium. In January, President Herminie delivered the keynote address at the Blue Forum during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. In February, he attended the World Governments Summit in Dubai before his first State Visit to India, where officials described Seychelles as “a key maritime neighbour for India in the Indian Ocean region.”
In March, he made a State Visit to Mauritius and received that country’s highest national honour. Later that month, China’s Vice President Han Zheng arrived in Victoria to mark fifty years of China-Seychelles relations. In April, President Herminie held talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
The Golden Jubilee of Independence in June brought the world to Seychelles. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended as Guest of Honour. China sent a special envoy of President Xi Jinping, Mauritius’ Prime Minister returned for a second visit, and Russian servicemen marched in the National Day parade. In the same season, Japan and the United States marked fifty years of diplomatic relations with Seychelles. July took the President 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. September brought him to the General Assembly.
Partnerships That Deliver
Seychelles’ location makes it an important partner. It sits near some of the Indian Ocean’s busiest shipping lanes, in a region where maritime security, fisheries and climate resilience are pressing concerns. President Herminie has turned that position into practical cooperation with a wide range of partners.
The results are tangible. India contributed patrol vessels and maritime surveillance support. The United Arab Emirates donated desalination plants that strengthen water security on Mahé and Praslin. China provided new grant financing. France supported counter-narcotics operations at sea. Each partnership stands on its own terms, and none comes at the expense of another. “Small states like ours do not seek strategic competition; we seek shared solutions,” the President told the General Assembly.
A Small State with a Clear Voice
President Herminie is a physician by training and a former Speaker of the National Assembly. At the UN he spoke for small island states everywhere. He named the threats they face: transnational organised crime, drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and climate change, which for Seychelles is a present reality rather than a distant risk. He called for greater climate ambition and fairer access to finance.
Reflecting on fifty years of independence, he gave the world a line that captures Seychelles’ approach: “Size does not define sovereignty, and geography does not diminish dignity.” For a nation that has never measured its influence by its size, the past year made that message plain. Seychelles engaged the world on its own terms, as a friend to all and an enemy to none. It enters its next fifty years with more partners, and a stronger voice, than ever before.
This piece was written by by Shelda Commettant. Cover Photo: UN Photo/Manuel Elias
