The solidifying of new and existing cooperation was amongst the points discussed by the High Commissioner-designate, H.E. Mr. Frank Glekin, with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde during their meeting on Monday 30th October 2023 at Maison Quéau de Quinssy.
Minister Radegonde highlighted that although bilateral relations between Seychelles and the United Kingdom are excellent, we still need to work together to ensure that it continues to grow. The presence of a diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in Victoria “is a visible sign of our long-term commitment which has enabled us to broaden our cooperation and people-to-people links thereby allowing our two countries to yield tangible results” stated the Minister.
“Our engagements in diverse areas such as education, maritime security, climate change, environmental protection and youth and sports through the Premier League Schools Projects have also provided for the achievement of shared goals,” added the Minister.
Another point that was addressed was the need to continue to negotiate with British Airways for a direct flight from Seychelles to the United Kingdom which is one of our top five tourism market. On that point, High Commissioner-designate Glekin expressed that he will try to assist Seychelles in their negotiations as it can open the way for new collaboration. “I am keen to not only build on the impressive work done by my predecessor, but also find new areas that we can further explore, such as the environment and maritime security, which is important to island nations like Seychelles and the United Kingdom”, he said. High commissioner Glekin highlighted the Environment as being very close to his heart and his wish to contribute to this field during his tenure.
Both sides agreed that their positions converge at the international level because of their shared values in terms of democracy, sovereignty and human right. In this vein, they agreed that the current assessment of GDP cannot be sustained and a fairer system would need to be implemented. Minster Radegonde asked High Commissioner Glekin to take the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) into consideration and to look at the final report provided recently by the United Nations in order to provide practical solutions.
Minister Radegonde ended the meeting by assuring H.E. Glekin of his full support to maintain fruitful collaborations.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism – Foreign Affairs Department, Republic of Seychelles.