The roles of honorary consuls for Seychelles around the globe are pivotal to our foreign policy as well as to the socio-economic development of our small island nation, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam has said.

“You are the faces and voices of Seychelles abroad,” Minister Adam told the consuls during the official opening of their biennial conference on Tuesday evening at the Kempinski Resort at Baie Lazare.

Among guests present at the ceremony were ministers, ambassadors, members of the judiciary and many key government and non-government figures.

The two-day conference, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is being held under the theme ‘Seychelles leadership – a shared vision’.

Minister Adam told the consuls that the work they are doing in their respective countries transcend into what Seychelles as a nation wants to accomplish, what it has  successfully achieved, the challenges and what it wants for the future.

“Your work is of utmost importance to the government and to the Foreign Affairs ministry and this importance will only grow in the future,” Minister Adam pointed out.

He highlighted the fact that as a small island developing state our connections to the world at large are both our lifeline and our Achilles heel.

But he noted that our foreign policy aims to strengthen our ability to pro-actively influence the international development architecture to better reflect the priorities of small islands such as Seychelles.

“Like all states, we have interests that have to be defended but islands have a bigger stake in developing a framework rooted in sustainability and shared interest,” Minister Adam added.

“Our biennial meeting will provide us a unique opportunity to pause and take stock of Seychelles’ foreign policy setting,” Minister Adam pointed out.

During the meeting the consuls will learn more about such issues as:

• the success of the Seychelles Macro-Economic Reform Programme, five years on;

• the Blue Economy concept;

• the Seychelles tourism policy and marketing;

• the Seychelles’ candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 2017-2018.

There will also be a panel discussion with officials of the Foreign Affairs ministry on various other issues.

The importance of the consuls’ work in promoting Seychelles interest abroad had also been previously highlighted by Foreign Affairs principal secretary Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne who noted that a lot has happened since their last conference in 2011.

“And often our consuls have played a major part in these developments,” he said.

“We currently only hold 10 diplomatic missions in 10 key cities around the world but in many instances  we find you are the only representatives of Seychelles in your respective countries bringing your support to the endeavours of our governments and to these missions,” he pointed out.

He noted that it is for this fact that we rely so heavily on the efforts and networks of the consuls.

“I therefore urge you all to continue to push the boundaries to amplify Seychelles’ achievements to deliver more for Seychelles in the years to come,” said Ambassador Loustau-Lalanne.

Mr Loustau-Lalanne noted that consular help have provided important links to businesses and opened up prospects for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), promoted Seychelles not only as the ideal holiday destination, but as a country which is worth investing in.

“Many of our consuls continue to exceed expectations and have gone as far as arranging short training courses for professionals in Seychelles and they are often the source of donations of equipment such as computers as well as books to schools and other institutions. All this is proof that they also fully invest in the development of the Seychellois people. Your contributions are recognised and highly appreciated,” noted Ambassador Loustau-Lalanne.

Forrás: www.nation.sc