The Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, Professor Gamini L. Peiris was received by President James A Michel at State House this morning as both countries continue exploring ways to further strengthen the rapidly developing cooperation between Victoria and Colombo.
He later called on Vice-President Danny Faure.
Cooperation projects between the two countries are materialising fast following President James Michel’s visit to Sri Lanka in August last year when he held talks with President Mahinda Rajapaska. During his meeting with Professor Peiris, Mr Michel expressed satisfaction with the strong impetus that has been given to expanding bilateral relations between Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
The Seychellois Head of State told Minister Peiris that Sri Lanka and Seychelles, both sharing the Indian Ocean, have a lot to offer each other and the world. President Michel also said he was looking forward to the development of air connectivity between the two countries to “bring us closer”. The two countries expect to sign a bilateral air services agreement in April, to provide another opportunity to better enhance their trade and tourism cooperation.
The visiting Minister informed President Michel that the Bank of Ceylan was looking into the possibility of setting up a branch in Seychelles.
The meeting was an occasion for the two governments to review the long list of bilateral programmes between Seychelles and Sri Lanka and also discuss new avenues of cooperation. The programmes include economic and technical cooperation, double taxation avoidance, the development of the blue economy, air links, fisheries, tourism, trade, financial assistance, ship building and repairs, military training, renewable energy, recruitment of teachers for Seychelles’ education sector, health and judiciary.
After the Sri Lankan Minister expressed his country’s interest in joining the Indian Ocean Commission, President Michel said there were many possibilities of trade expansion to the region, the COMESA area of which Seychelles is part, and beyond in Africa.
During the meeting at State House Minister Peiris announced that President Rajapaska is planning to be in Seychelles in the near future, to reciprocate the visit to Sri Lanka by President Michel.
Minister Peiris, too, is pleased with the “remarkable rapidity” of the practical implementation of the cooperation programmes between Seychelles and Sri Lanka following President Michel’s and Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam’s visits to his country.
He told the media after the meetings with President Michel and Vice-President Danny Faure: “So a few months after those visits it makes sense for me to come to the Seychelles -- it is my first visit to the Seychelles which I have enjoyed tremendously -- to assess what we have achieved on the ground and what more remains to be done.”
“On any objective evaluation progress was really tremendous, because the two countries are conscious of what they have in common in terms of potentials,” he added.
He mentioned the blue economy which he said island states of the Indian Ocean could exploit to the full if they come together.
He described the cooperation as multi-pronged and multi-faceted “which is likely to expand in the coming month particularly as the President of Sri Lanka is expected to pay a visit and President Michel is to attend the Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka”.
Minister Peiris’ delegation was accompanied to State House by Mr Roy Fonseka, the honorary consul of Sri Lanka in Seychelles.
During his visit the Minister held talks with other top government officials including his Seychellois counterpart, Mr Adam, and toured the Seychelles Coastguard headquarters and Maritime Training Centre.