Mr. Henk Jan Bakker, the newly appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Seychelles, presented his credentials to President Wavel Ramkalawan during an official ceremony held at State House this morning.

Ambassador Bakker, a seasoned career diplomat with extensive experience, becomes the eleventh Dutch ambassador to be accredited to Seychelles. In addition to his role with Seychelles, he also serves as the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Somalia and Eritrea, and as the Permanent Representative to the African Union, IGAD, and UNECA.

President Ramkalawan congratulated Ambassador Bakker and expressed confidence that his appointment will further enhance the longstanding cooperation between Seychelles and the Netherlands. During their meeting, the two leaders discussed existing and potential areas of collaboration, including climate change, cybercrime, maritime security, and policing.

The Republic of Seychelles and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 19 April 1977. Ambassador Bakker, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya, expressed his deep honour in being accredited to Seychelles. He highlighted that his discussions with President Ramkalawan focused on shared interests and outlined his commitment to fostering closer ties between the two nations. Ambassador Bakker also expressed his intention to visit Seychelles frequently and work on expanding avenues for cooperation.

Following the accreditation ceremony, Ambassador Bakker paid a courtesy call to Vice President Ahmed Afif.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Vivienne Fock-Tave, Director General of the Bilateral Affairs Division, Ms. Lindy Ernesta, Director Bilateral Affairs, Ms. Wendy Isnard, and Third Secretary of the Bilateral Affairs Division, Mrs. Louisa Lepathy.