Brussels, Belgium Saturday 19th February 2022: On the sidelines of the 6th European Union-African Union Summit taking place in Belgium, President Wavel Ramkalawan held a bilateral discussion with the President of the European Commission, Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen yesterday morning (Friday 18 February).
On behalf of the Seychelles government, the President expressed appreciation for all the support given by the EU and for being an excellent partner in the development of Seychelles. He availed of the opportunity to brief Mrs Ursula von der Leyen of pertinent priority items for Seychelles at present.
“As a Small Islands Developing State, Seychelles continues to feel the brunt of the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. We believe that more emphasis is needed to speed up climate action by high emitting countries and we welcome any support to Seychelles and other island states on climate adaptation, climate mitigation and emergency preparedness. The pandemic has taught all of us many lessons. For Seychelles, my government has found it of paramount importance for the country to diversify its economy. In this regard, I hope that the EU will also consider to assist us improve the business landscape and implement modern financing mechanisms” said President Ramkalawan.
During the meeting, President Ramkalawan and Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen discussed issues of mutual interest and of value to both Seychelles and the European Union, in which they explored new avenues of cooperation such as environment, climate change, ocean governance/Blue Economy, fisheries, maritime security, law enforcement/cybercrime. They also spoke about ongoing cooperation in the fight against corruption about capacity building in the fisheries sector and the conversion to modern technologies, the good governance structure of the ocean, blue economy, the vulnerability of SIDS and maritime security among others.
Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen conveyed the commitment of EU to continue partnering with the Seychelles and providing technical assistance where necessary. And as a long standing partner of this island nation further pledged to enhance cooperation in key areas of mutual interest.