‘Seychelles must seize chances to advance her own agenda’

“To be a winner in a globalised world order, Seychelles will have to seize opportunities coming its way and take initiatives to advance her own agenda in a win-win context with other countries, regional bodies or international organisations.”

President Danny Faure said this in his keynote address during yesterday morning’s opening ceremony of the honorary consuls’ conference at the Savoy Resort & Spa, Beau Vallon. The conference, which ends tomorrow, is being attended by 63 of the 91 honorary consuls and 12 consuls general.

Discussions will focus on the national development strategy, championing of the Blue economy, exploration of Seychelles' role on climate change, human trafficking, challenges of small and medium enterprises, fisheries and tourism.

Describing the honorary consuls as “foot soldiers of Seychelles foreign service”, President Faure told them they are duty-bound to scout for these opportunities and advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on initiatives it can take. 

“We can achieve that ambitious goal provided we are smart and forward looking,” said President Faure who expressed gratitude to all our honorary consuls and consuls general who are doing a sterling job at protecting the interests of Seychellois nationals and promoting Seychelles in their respective consular jurisdictions across the globe. 

“Through your active presence you have not only made a difference in the lives of Seychellois nationals and provided greater traction to our country’s foreign policy, but you have, above all, portrayed the real image of the type of society that Seychelles is,” he said, adding that “by being there in the hours of need of Seychellois nationals, whether they are residents or visitors, you demonstrate that Seychelles is a caring society which leaves none of its citizens behind, no matter where they may be.

“Through the consular assistance brought to our fellow citizens, you extend to your respective consular jurisdiction the principle of people-centred development that is the cornerstone of my government’s domestic policy,” the president told the consuls whose role he said goes beyond the traditional confines of consuls as from time to time, they are called upon to take on certain diplomatic responsibilities. 

“The limited number of our diplomatic missions, their size and very hectic schedules necessitates that.  Through the execution of this secondary function, you have given greater reach to our marketing drive, promoting Seychelles as a well sought-after tourist destination. In doing so, you have contributed your fair share to the success of our economic diplomacy,” added President Faure.

He remarked that under his predecessor, President James Michel, we have seen the reinforcement of our bilateral and multilateral relations, giving rise to tangible and concrete programmes of cooperation. 

As a result, the role and image of Seychelles in the international arena has been enhanced, thus giving our small nation a strong and respected voice in the concert of nations and our views are listened to with attention and our contributions more and more solicited.

President Faure has called for a strengthened partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country’s network of honorary consuls and consuls general, this in line with the goal of making Seychelles a winner in the community of nations.

“With the same goal in mind, I ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further expand the current network of honorary consuls to those countries and key cities where we do not yet have any representation,” said Mr Faure who asked the consuls to use the conference to gather fresh information on Seychelles, share their ideas, exchange views and interact with the Foreign Affairs Minister and some of his colleagues and senior officials in government and the private sector. 

“I look forward to reading your recommendations to improve our work for the service of our nation,” stressed President Faure who reiterated that all acts of government will be inspired by the three principles of good governance, transparency and accountability while the country continues to promote sustainable growth and defend the ideals of fairness, equality in opportunity, social justice and distribution of wealth, to continuously raise and maintain hope.

“All of it, in order to build a prosperous Seychelles, faithful to the principles that have shaped its image as a Creole country, both democratic, open to the world and rooted in its values, of a country that cultivates and promotes peace. The actions of the Seychellois diplomacy must, naturally, continue to be part of this dynamic,” said the president.

For his part, Foreign Affairs and Transport Minister Joel Morgan has called on the consuls to be pro-active.

“We are showing them the existing opportunities in Seychelles that can bring about benefits in various fields from financial, economic, development, cooperation, socio-cultural, sports, among others,” said Minister Morgan, who added that the conference will also help to align the consuls with the vision of the government of the day.

This will help establish linkages between Seychelles and the countries where the diplomatic representatives are based while emphasising on the need to focus on people-centred development.

The conference provides the honorary consuls and foreign affairs ministry with an invaluable opportunity to connect, formulate new strategies to enhance more effective communication and to establish mechanisms to provide the consuls all with the necessary support required. 

Minister Morgan explained that in this day and age, a country’s weight in the global arena is no longer measured in terms of its size, but rather in its capacity and willingness to effectively contribute to the search for solutions to the growing number of challenges of a transnational nature besetting humanity. 

“Our honorary consuls and consuls general symbolise the global reach of the foreign policy of one of the smallest countries in the world. They are spread over 95 cities in 65 countries across the globe. They are the proud consular representatives of a maritime, small island developing state with high ambitions which can be summed up as an unflinching willingness to offer the Seychellois people access to the best quality of life its society can offer and sustain, while smartly navigating the meanders of a complex global order. As movers and shakers of this tall order, they must be apprised of the various drivers of this high ambition and the mechanisms of its delivery. This is the very objective of this consuls’ conference,” said Minister Morgan.

The minister added that in a globalised world, a country can only be on the winning side if it enhances cooperation with other nations. 

“It is imperative that we build on the foundations in place and make the most of the mileage we have procured. In this context, we will have a more credible and visible presence in the international arena,” noted Minister Morgan, who added that following the meeting of Seychellois ambassadors with President Faure last Friday, he set the direction for our foreign policy thrust in terms of pragmatic diplomacy for ensuring that our foreign policy initiatives and actions translate into tangible outputs for the benefit of our citizens in our country.

“This follows our principle of people centred development for improving the quality of life of our people. I therefore call upon you as our consuls general and honorary consuls to also apply the principle of pragmatism in your activities in order to translate your actions into tangible and effective outcomes for the benefit of our people,” concluded Minister Morgan.

The honorary consuls and consuls general meet every two years to gather new information about the country, as well as to exchange ideas with government officials, private sector representatives and the country’s ambassadors.

The opening ceremony ended with the Children’s choir performing two songs – Road less travelled and Linite.

Forrás: www.nation.sc