The Vice President of Seychelles, Mr. Danny Faure, has underlined Seychelles' commitment to regional collective security when addressing the African Union Summit on peace and security and said that despite being Africa's smallest member, the Government of Seychelles had a meaningful contribution to make.

As a country committed to shared peace and prosperity, the Vice President also emphasized the importance of combatting extremism on the African continent:

"Seychelles rejects all forms of intolerance represented by groups such as Boko Haram or Al Shabab. We must use our collective security institutions to ensure that these groups do not hold the peace and prosperity of our continent hostage...

The Government of Seychelles has pledged military personnel and a refueling tanker to security operations in the region, through the East African Standby Force (EASF), of which Seychelles will be taking Chairmanship in 2015.

The Vice President highlighted how Seychelles was fully engaged in regional security despite its small size:
"While we are not a country that has battalions to commit- we commit ourselves without reservation to the ideal of collective security."

The Head of the Seychelles delegation attending the 24th Assembly of the Union also spoke of the Government's unwavering support to the efforts of the African Union through its partnership of equals with Member States, as a core principal to Seychelles' bid for a Non-Permanent Seat on the United Nations Security Council for the period 2017-2018:

"We are standing for Africa, and for the principles enshrined in the AU Charter.

"We believe that our nation's peaceful existence has much to contribute to the peace and stability of Africa and... based on the sacrosanct principle of rotation and as an African Island State, Seychelles stands ready to serve, and ensure that the voice of Africa is heard far and wide."

In addition to mentioning the importance of ground efforts on the Continent, the Vice President reiterated the intrinsic link of maritime security to terrorist threats faced by the East African regions.

"A secure oceanic space is an essential component of a secure region, said Vice President Faure,
"This is why we have worked with regional partners to establish mechanisms to better share intelligence based on maritime criminal networks. We have established a maritime intelligence centre in Seychelles and welcome partnerships with interested parties who wish to also benefit from the capacity we have built in this regard."

In conclusion, the Vice President called on the African Union to continue to support efforts to end criminality on the seas, in particular the trafficking of drugs, peoples, and arms that fund criminal networks.

The Seychelles delegation comprises of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Barry Faure, the Permanent Representative to the African Union, Amb. Joseph Nourrice, the Principal Secretary in the Office of the Vice President, Mrs. Jeanne Simeon, the Principal Counsellor in the Seychelles Embassy in Addis Ababa, Mrs. Amanda Bernstein, and the First Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Marie-Angele Thomas.