President Danny Faure of Seychelles held a state banquet in honour of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed, on Friday.
The first couple traveled to the East African islands on Thursday, on the invitation of its president; this is President Solih’s maiden voyage there since assuming office in November last year.
Both presidents spoke at the banquet, with President Solih highlighting that that this year marks the 39th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Maldives and Seychelles.
“But our relationship and our history have long been intertwined in the midst of time, and by the tides of the great Indian Ocean.”President Solih
Further noting that both “are small island nations with big dreams and great determination,” the president emphasized that it is up to the leaders “to navigate the shared tides and turbulences, to lead out people to the peaceful and prosperous destination that they desire.”
Earlier on Friday, Maldives and Seychelles signed seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)s; including a General Cooperation Agreement between the two governments, as well as frameworks for collaboration between the two foreign ministries, in tourism, blue economy, vocational training and youth development, and in sports cooperation. In addition, the Seychelles government has also decided to provide four annual scholarships commencing this year, for Maldivian students to study maritime fields, at the University of Seychelles.
President Solih said that the agreements signed during his visit to the fellow island nation “signals the willingness on our parts to exchange knowledge, increase cooperation and move towards shared mutual progess.”
Earlier this month, Seychelles helped secure Maldives’ bid to host the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) 2023. While a high-level delegation had traveled to the country seeking support, President Faure assured the country’s support at this meeting; Maldives won the bids with four votes while the other two nations that expressed interest received one each.
President Solih thanked the Seychelles government for its support for the IOIG bid, and said he looks forward to the country’s participation in the next games.
