On Thursday 3rd November 2022, H.E Mrs. Mary O’Neill, Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to the Republic of Seychelles paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde at Maison Quéau de Quinssy.
During the meeting, the two sides touched on the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the difficulties brought on by the war in Ukraine. Minister Radegonde commented: “I am pleased to report that despite the ongoing issues in Europe, it has not impacted the inflow of tourists coming to Seychelles”. On her side, Ambassador O’Neill expressed her appreciation of Seychelles’ commitment to multilateralism and its stance against the attack on Ukraine, which was taken on a matter of principle.
It was noted that although Seychelles and Ireland have collaborated in fields such as education and capacity building, there remains scope for enhanced collaboration in these areas. “I am committed to institutional and people-to-people partnership”, said H.E O’Neill.
Along this vein, Ambassador O’Neill explained that they have secured the extension of a two-year grant for the fisheries sector via a climate envelope and also initiated discussions for the incorporation of coding in the school education system. In addition, Ambassador O’Neill indicated that her Embassy is liaising with fishing institutions for capacity building in the fisheries sector through the implementation of a model, similar to the Shannon College of Hotel Management and the Seychelles Tourism Academy. They are also reviewing the strategy of the SIDS Fellowship Programme to broaden the programme in other fields besides climate change.
To conclude, Minister Radegonde commended the support provided by the EU and EUNAFOR for maritime safety including the broadening of its mandate to tackle the issue of drugs, and called for the cause of small island nations such as Seychelles to be brought to the forefront to enable us to tap into opportunities that exist, through the creation of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index.
In attendance for the meeting were Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave, Principal Secretary for the Foreign Affairs Department, Ms. Lindy Ernesta, Director General for Bilateral Affairs, and other senior officials from the Foreign Affairs Department.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism – Foreign Affairs Department, Republic of Seychelles.
