Mr Sharma was here with his wife Babli as guests of honour for yesterday’s National Day celebrations.

During his visit to State House, Mr Sharma was accompanied by his executive assistant Derick Ally.

Speaking to members of the media afterwards, he said he was very honoured to be part of the celebrations.

He said he was grateful for the chance to meet the President and all the ministers to discuss forms of strategic cooperation between the Commonwealth and Seychelles in the fields of education, youth enterprise, judicial capacity building, the constitutional review process, media standards, human rights and public service.

“The Commonwealth is primarily an organisation for small states and it gives voice to the voiceless,” he said.
He said the Commonwealth will continue to develop avenues of cooperation with Seychelles.

“It is particularly beneficial to me to learn what the expectations of small states are and what more can be done by the Commonwealth,” he added.

Mr Sharma also praised Seychelles for the remarkable progress in its economic reform programme.

“Seychelles has done very well for itself. If you look at the indicators of financial health and the reports that the International Monetary Fund has done, it is one of the most successful stories of managing finances,” he said.

In a communiqué from State House released after the meeting, Mr Michel said the Commonwealth has been an excellent partner in our development.

“It has provided support in capacity building, technical expertise and funding, and I believe this partnership will grow even stronger with the visit of Mr Sharma,” he added.

Mr Michel also spoke to the secretary-general about the Commonwealth’s youth enterprise schemes in banks in India and Africa which he described as good models for empowering young people.

“We have instituted similar government schemes in Seychelles and they have been a great success,” he said.

“Now we can work with the private sector to encourage this as a mainstream activity in the banking sector.”

During his visit to State House, Mr Sharma also called on Vice-President Joseph Belmont and his wife met First Lady Natalie Michel.

Later in the evening, they were hosted to a reception at State House by President Michel.

Forrás: http://www.nation.sc/index.php?art=19827