First Couple of Seychelles concludes state visit to Maldives

The First Couple of Seychelles, President Wavel Ramkalawan and First Lady Linda Ramkalawan have concluded their state visit to the Maldives.

The First Couple of Seychelles touched down at Velana International Airport. on Sunday afternoon.

Their visit came following the official invitation of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The First Couple of Seychelles along with the delegation accompanying them, were received at the airport by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.

The Seychelles' First Couple concluded their visit and returned to Seychelles on Friday.

The Government of the Maldives officially welcomed the First Couple of Seychelles, on Monday.

The ceremony to officially welcome the Seychelles’ First Couple was hosted by the government at the Republic Square.

The ceremony marked the beginning of the state visit of the Seychellois President and First Lady to the Maldives.

President Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed received the Seychellois First Couple at the Presidential Jetty in Malé.

Following this, Maldivian students performed a welcoming ceremony, and the guests were then escorted to the saluting dais.

The Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) fired a 21-gun salute in their honor.

The ceremony also saw the Maldivian military brass band playing the national anthems of the Maldives and Seychelles.

The senior officials of the Maldivian Government and the senior representatives of the Seychellois Government presented themselves together in the presence of a guard of honor.

After the welcoming formalities, President Ramkalawan was escorted to the President's Office in a cultural procession. Upon arrival at the President's Office, he signed the Visitors' Book.

Afterwards, President Ramkalawan sat down with President Solih for official talks.

Afterwards, a special ceremony was held at the President's Office to exchange key agreements between the Maldives and the Seychelles. As such, a total of four key agreements were exchanged, marking a significant step forward in bilateral relations between the two countries.

The agreements exchanged were;

President Solih and the President Ramkalawan, presided over the agreement exchange ceremony.

The ceremony was also attended by senior officials of both governments, including the Vice President of the Maldives Faisal Naseem.

On Monday, a joint statement delivered by President Solih and the President Ramkalawan.

As such, in their joint statement, President Solih and President Ramkalawan agreed to collaborate in addressing security concerns in the Indian Ocean region, including emerging threats such as piracy, drug trafficking, terrorism, and illegal fishing.

They went on to shed light on the similarities between the two countries including culture, livelihoods, and ways of living.

Further, they expressed mutual commitment to strengthen bilateral relations and emphasized on the significance of ocean resources to the economies of both countries.

Shedding light on the importance of the security of the Indian Ocean for regional peace and stability, President Solih and the Seychelles’ President identified climate change and its impacts as primary concerns for both countries.

Stressing on the need for cooperation between the two countries to share experiences and address the development challenges of climate change, the Maldivian leader noted that many issues of mutual interest were discussed during their official talks, as were ways to strengthen relations between Maldives and Seychelles.

President Solih and First Lady Fazna hosted a state luncheon in honor of the Seychelles’ First Couple and the accompanying delegation on Monday afternoon.

The luncheon was held at Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi and was attended by cabinet ministers and senior government officials from both countries.

On Monday, VP Naseem paid a courtesy call on President Ramkalawan.

At the meeting, VP Naseem expressed confidence that the official talks between the Maldives and Seychelles were productive and would lead to increased collaboration and cooperation between the two nations.

Additionally, the Vice President and the Seychellois President described the state visit as a significant demonstration of the close relationship between the two countries. They also expressed their interest in working closely to discuss matters of mutual interest, particularly to strengthen existing cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels. In this regard, they noted collaboration in tourism, climate change, and youth development.

Additionally, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid also paid a courtesy call on the President of Seychelles, on Monday.

At the meeting, Minister Shahid reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Government of Maldives to further enhance bilateral cooperation and increase collaboration at the regional and international levels on matters of mutual interest.

The Minister noted that the agreements exchanged will be mutually beneficial to both, the people of Maldives and the people of Seychelles. He expressed hope that the Visa Exemption Agreement will allow greater people-to-people interaction between both countries.

Minister Shahid also reaffirmed that the Maldives stands ready to implement the outcomes agreed upon by the two leaders during the Official Talks held in the morning at the President’s Office.

Furthermore, First Lady Fazna and Seychellois First Lady Ramkalawan, visited the Fiyavathi State Care Facility in Hulhumalé, on Monday.

During the visit to the Fiyavathi children's shelter, First Lady Fazna and First Lady Ramkalawan toured the facility and viewed children's art displays.

The Seychellois President described his state visit to Maldives as highly successful. He stated that the relations between both the countries are now at a higher level and, noted that the countries will now stand by each other on the international arena.