🗞️ Why in News India announced the SESEL Joint Vision with Seychelles and a Defence Industrial Cooperation Declaration with Greece — part of an expanding strategic geography that builds India’s presence at the margins of the Indian Ocean, from Western Island chains to European naval partners, as China’s String of Ports strategy deepens.
The Strategic Competition in the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is not merely India’s backyard — it is the world’s most critical commercial waterway. Over 80% of global oil trade and 90% of containerised goods pass through IOR shipping lanes. For India specifically:
- 85–88% of crude oil imports arrive by sea through the Indian Ocean
- 70% of India’s total trade by value is seaborne
- India’s entire eastern and western coastlines, including major economic hubs (Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata) are IOR-exposed
China’s strategy — String of Pearls: China has systematically built port access, equity stakes, and infrastructure investments at key IOR nodes:
- Gwadar (Pakistan): CPEC’s crown jewel; deep-water port with potential naval use
- Hambantota (Sri Lanka): 99-year lease to China Merchants Port (2017) after debt-trap
- Colombo International Terminal: Chinese state company BRI investment
- Kyaukphyu (Myanmar): Deep-water port + oil pipeline to Yunnan
- Djibouti: China’s first overseas military base (2017); controls Bab-el-Mandeb approach
SAGAR’s Record — Achievements and Gaps
India’s SAGAR doctrine (2015) aimed to make India the net security provider for smaller IOR states and deepen economic partnerships. A decade in, the record is mixed:
Achievements:
- Coastal Surveillance Radar Network (CSRN): India has installed surveillance radar systems in Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Seychelles, Bangladesh, and Myanmar — creating a near-real-time maritime picture
- Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR): Operation Dost (Turkiye/Syria 2023), Cyclone Idai (Mozambique 2019), Operation Raahat (Yemen 2015) — India as first responder
- Dornier Supply: India has gifted or sold maritime patrol aircraft (Dornier 228) to Maldives, Sri Lanka, Seychelles — creating maintenance dependency and training links
- Naval base access: Assumption Island (Seychelles), Agalega (Mauritius) — forward presence without permanent basing controversy
- Hydro-carbon: India-Mauritius-Maldives trilateral submarine oil pipeline cooperation
Gaps and vulnerabilities:
- Maldives flip-flop: Ibrahim Solih was India-aligned; President Muizzu (2024) sought India’s military presence reduction and explored Chinese economic engagement — India had to recalibrate
- Sri Lanka: Chinese Hambantota deal succeeded partly because India did not offer comparable financing; India later provided USD 4 billion bailout (2022) but the port precedent remains
- Debt vs. Development: China offers large loans fast; India’s credit disbursement is slower and more conditional — smaller states sometimes choose China for speed
- Bangladesh: Post-Hasina political transition created temporary uncertainty about pro-India infrastructure projects
SESEL and What It Gets Right
The SESEL framework’s emphasis on climate action, renewable energy, and digital infrastructure — alongside security — reflects a maturation of India’s island diplomacy:
- Climate-first language resonates with small island developing states (SIDS) for whom climate change is an existential threat (rising sea levels, coral bleaching, cyclones)
- Digital infrastructure (submarine cables, e-governance) creates durable technology dependencies that outlast political leadership changes
- Blue economy framing (fisheries, ocean resources) taps into Seychelles’ primary economic interest rather than imposing India’s security lens
This is SAGAR 2.0 — and closer in spirit to what the Indo-Pacific needs.
India-Greece: Expanding the Strategic Circle
Greece’s decision to partner India in defence co-production and post a liaison at IFC-IOR is significant:
- Greece commands a large and capable navy (4th in NATO by tonnage) with deep Mediterranean-to-Indian Ocean patrol experience
- As an EU and NATO member, Greece brings India closer to European defence supply chains — diversifying away from total Russia-UK-France dependence
- The Greece-Turkey rivalry gives Greece extra incentive to develop alternative partnerships beyond NATO
- Greece’s Hellenic Shipyards builds frigates and submarines — potential co-production opportunities for India’s P-75 and Project 17A follow-on programs
What India Must Still Do
- Speed up LoC disbursement: India’s Lines of Credit are often delayed by procurement/procedural red tape. Fast-disbursing infrastructure funding (like China’s) requires streamlining MEA/Exim Bank processes
- Create an Indian Ocean Development Fund: A dedicated concessional lending pool (like China’s BRI Fund but with better governance standards) would give India a competitive financing instrument
- Technology partnerships over hardware: Rather than gifting vessels (which require Indian maintenance), building local coast guard capability (training, software, surveillance systems) creates more durable ties
- Follow through on climate finance: India’s International Solar Alliance (co-founded with France, HQ Gurugram) should specifically target SIDS with solar and storage grants — not just loans
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: SAGAR (2015, Mauritius), SESEL, Assumption Island (Seychelles), IFC-IOR (Gurugram, 2018), String of Pearls, Hambantota Port (99-year lease), CSRN, CMF (Bahrain), CTF-154, MAHASAGAR. Mains GS-2: India’s neighbourhood-first policy; SAGAR doctrine; India-island diplomacy; India-China competition in IOR; India-Europe defence partnerships. GS-3: Maritime security; blue economy; ISA (International Solar Alliance); India’s Lines of Credit; BRI vs India alternative.
📌 Facts Corner — Knowledgepedia
SAGAR Doctrine:
- Announced: March 2015, Mauritius, by PM Modi
- Full form: Security and Growth for All in the Region
- Extended version: MAHASAGAR (2025–30, adds Blue Economy + Climate)
India-Seychelles (SESEL):
- 50 years of relations (1976–2026)
- Military access: Assumption Island
- India supplied: Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft, patrol vessels
- Seychelles EEZ: 1.37 million sq km
China String of Pearls — Key Nodes:
- Gwadar (Pakistan) — CPEC deep-water port
- Hambantota (Sri Lanka) — 99-year lease to China Merchants Port (2017)
- Kyaukphyu (Myanmar) — pipeline + deep-water port
- Djibouti — China’s first overseas military base (2017)
India Counter-Presence:
- CSRN installed in: Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Myanmar
- Naval access: Assumption Island (Seychelles), Agalega (Mauritius)
- IFC-IOR (Gurugram, 2018): 21 partner countries + 4 multilateral bodies
Other Relevant Facts:
- ISA (International Solar Alliance): co-founded by India and France at COP21 (2015); HQ Gurugram; targets SIDS for solar deployment
- Greece: NATO + EU member; 4th largest NATO navy; Hellenic Shipyards (frigates, submarines)
- QUAD (India, US, Japan, Australia): maritime security forum; coordinates IOR + Pacific
- BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal grouping (India + 6 SE/S Asian nations); maritime cooperation pillar