Seychelles and St Vincent and the Grenadines will explore the possibility of developing capacity building between the two island nations following a discussion between President Danny Faure and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, State House said.

The two leaders met on Friday on the margin of the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York.

Among the subjects discussed was the possibility of a legal draughtsman from St Vincent and the Grenadines to come to Seychelles under a capacity building programme.

The head of state of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, extended an invitation to Prime Minister Gonsalves to be the guest of honour at the Seychelles' National Day celebrations in 2019.

Faure also reiterated “the need for a more coordinated response from like-minded small island states which would help spur their development.”

On his side, the Prime Minister also remarked that small island states need to embrace a paradigm shift which would inherently address their specificities, a concept he termed as 'small state exceptionalism.'

Gonsalves expressed his nation's desire to learn from Seychelles' experience in the field of tourism so as to grow that sector of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ economy.

Tourism is the top contributor to the Seychelles' economy while St Vincent and the Grenadines' economy is largely based on agriculture, bananas in particular.

The two leaders also renewed their commitment to further consolidate the excellent ties of friendship that exist between the two island nations. 

Forrás: www.seychellesnewsagency.com