By IANS,
New Delhi :India Monday agreed to give three helicopters to Seychelles for maritime surveillance in the Indian Ocean region.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony made the promise to deliver three helicopters – one Dornier and two Chetaks – to the archipelago nation during his meeting with Seychelles President James Alix Michel, a defence spokesperson said here.
Antony is in Seychelles for a two-day trip that began Sunday for talks on strengthening India’s strategic ties in the southern Indian Ocean.
The trip comes close on heels of the visit by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna earlier this month.
In June, President Michel was in India to discuss security issues, including the maritime security situation in the Indian Ocean region, particularly in the context of the spread of piracy in and from the Gulf of Aden.