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# [SEYCHELLES] Naval deal with Russia: the archipelago's ports set to open to Moscow's military vessels
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/seychelles-accord-naval-avec-la-russie-les-ports-de-larchipel-bientot-ouverts-aux-navires-militaires-de-moscou-en/
- Published: 2026-08-07T02:59:51.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-07T02:59:51.000Z
- Description: Seychelles and Russia are negotiating military naval access to the archipelago's ports. Signing expected October 2026. A major geopolitical shift for the Indian Ocean region.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Seychelles, Économie, Investissement, Revue matinale, #en

Seychelles and Russia are actively negotiating an agreement granting Russian military vessels access to the archipelago's ports. Signing is expected in October 2026, at the third Russia-Africa Summit — a geopolitical turning point that places the island nation at the heart of Indian Ocean power plays.

## A memorandum signed in Saint-Petersburg in June 2026

In June 2026, a Seychellois delegation traveled to Russia to attend the International Naval Show in Saint Petersburg and Kronstadt. The visit concluded with both nations signing a maritime security cooperation memorandum, laying the groundwork for a more binding agreement on Russian military vessel access to Seychellois ports.

Russian Ambassador Kirill Sokolov Chtcherbatchiov confirmed that talks focus specifically on «the procedure for Russian military vessels entering the country's ports». The final agreement is expected to be adopted in October 2026, on the sidelines of the third Russia-Africa Summit.

## Herminie between Moscow and Abu Dhabi

President Patrick Herminie has been pursuing an actively diversified diplomatic agenda. Following his attendance at Bastille Day celebrations in Réunion — a strong signal of ties to the French-speaking world — he undertook working visits to Moscow and then Abu Dhabi. This trajectory reflects a deliberate foreign policy: not aligned with the West, yet not within the exclusive orbit of any single power.

In April 2026, Herminie was received by Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin — a high-level meeting that set the stage for the strategic partnership now taking shape.

## Why it matters

The Indian Ocean has once again become an arena of intense strategic competition. Allowing Russian military vessels to regularly operate there — even under bilateral agreements — shifts the region's geopolitical balance. For Indian Ocean business leaders, two key questions arise: can Seychelles maintain its appeal as a premium financial and tourism hub while deepening this partnership? And what signal does it send to Western partners, on whom a large share of the archipelago's investment depends?

*Sources: Pravda France (4 August 2026); Capmad (6 August 2026); StatHouse Seychelles*