President Wavel Ramkalawan welcomed the delegation of Seychellois Ambassadors for a courtesy call at State House this morning. Accompanied by Vice-President Ahmed Afif and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr Sylvestre Radegonde, the meeting coincides with the presence of the diplomats currently in the country to attend the annual Ambassador’s Retreat on Monday 24th October to Tuesday 25th October.
In welcoming the Ambassadors, the President conveyed the appreciation of the country to the diplomats for their respective efforts in representing Seychelles on the international arena at their various postings. “I wish to extend a very warm welcome to you all back home. It is an honour for me to welcome all our Seychellois Ambassadors under one roof today. Some of you I have met during my various overseas missions and I have seen firsthand your devotion and how hard you are working for our beloved Seychelles. Our meeting today presents an opportunity for us to discuss openly how we can further strengthen our diplomatic policy and strategies in order harness maximum benefits for the country and for our people. I wish you all fruitful deliberations during the coming days" said President Ramkalawan.
With the Honorary Consuls Conference 2022 also being held this week in parallel with the Ambassadors Retreat from Wednesday 26th to Friday 28th October themed "Harnessing Opportunities through Diplomatic Relations’, the meeting this morning was an opportunity for the diplomats to share and brief the Head of State of their respective initiatives, works of their missions as well how they can collaborate collectively to ensure tangible results are achieved at community level as direct benefits for the people.
Topics such as the ranking of Seychelles on various International platforms and Ranking systems i.e. Championing the Blue Economy Agenda, Fitch Ratings, the Freedom of the Press Index, the Ibrahim Index , building the resilience of the country and the current economic recovery process Seychelles has embarked on were among some of the topics raised during discussion. Key emphasis however remained on the translation of the various cooperation agreements to be translated in to concrete results for the benefits of the community.
On behalf of all the Ambassadors present, the Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Pretoria, South Africa, Amb. Claude Morel expressed the appreciation of the all the diplomats present for having been privileged to be able to hold discussions with the Head of State, where he has provided critical guidance on how everyone can further join forces for the advancement of the current diplomatic agenda of Seychelles to greater heights.
Also present for the courtesy call at State House, was the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Vivianne Fock Tave, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, Mr. Claude Morel, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Delhi, Republic of India, Mr. Selby Pillay, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium, Mrs. Beryl Samson, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mr. Jean-Claude Adrienne, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Conrad Mederic, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles based at Headquarters, Mrs. Lalatiana Accouche, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Mrs. Anne Lafortune, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Republic of Seychelles to the United Nations, New York, United States of America, Mr. Ian Madeleine, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. in the Embassy of the Republic of Seychelles, Paris, Republic of France, Mr. Jacques Belle and the Ag. High Commissioner in the High Commission of the Republic of Seychelles in London, United Kingdom, Ms. Patsy Moustache.
The weeklong discussions will continue during the annual Ambassador’s Retreat on Monday 24th October to Tuesday 25th October followed by the Department’s biennial Honorary Consuls Conference which will be officially launched by the President of the Republic, Mr Wavel Ramkalawan and First Lady Linda Ramkalawan, at State House, on Tuesday evening.