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Archive -Seychelles

Foreign Affairs ministry holds fourth open day |23 April 2014


‘A determined island voice’ is the theme chosen for the fourth Ministry of Foreign Affairs open day yesterday at the Maison Quéau de Quinssy.
Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam launched the day which coincided with the country’s hosting of the Seychelles honorary consul conference which was opened last night at the Kempinski Seychelles Resort, Baie Lazare.

Present at the open day launch were members of the judiciary, ministers, members the diplomatic corps, honorary consuls, Seychellois ambassadors, members of the National Assembly, other high government officials and staff of the ministry.

Guests attended a live demo United Nations Security Council session on the link between climate change and the international peace and security, performed by 15 members of the Youth Assembly. They were representing the current 15-member states on the council. There were also exhibitions and presentations on human rights, maritime security, blue economy and small island states.
The exhibitions were illustrated through photos, articles, power point and detailed explanations by staff of the ministry.

Today, Seychelles is represented overseas by 10 ambassadors and 90 honorary consuls in 59 countries. Seychelles has diplomatic relations with 156 countries worldwide and nine such countries have permanent missions in Victoria. Sri Lanka is the last to join the crop last year. Another 20 countries are represented by their honorary consuls.

Giving an avant goût of what to be seen and expected from the open day, foreign affairs principal secretary Maurice Loustau-Lalanne told the guests that the open day was different from those of previous years. He said it was centred on the theme of the country’s main thrust for a non-permanent seat in 2017-2018 on the United Nations Security Council.

“We will deploy all our resources to ensure our election. We have started our campaign as we concentrate for the present on gaining support of our East African group within the African Union (AU). Two of our diplomats will start training in New York. This will be stepped up in 2015 and 2016,” he said.

To officially launch the open day, Minister Adam thanked everyone present and said that the ministry was very happy to this year share its open day with its wider diplomatic family by coinciding it with the Seychelles honorary consuls conference and that of the celebration of our melting pot of cultures and our connections with the world through the Carnaval International de Victoria.



“Ultimately our open day is an expression of the belief that we have in the Seychellois people, our belief in the value of our contribution and in our sincerity in the conduct of our international relations,” he said.

Talking about the national theme ‘The International year of Small Island Developing States – Seychelles, a determined Island Nation’, Minister Adam said that our advocacy for the cause of small island developing states is at the heart of our foreign policy and this is why the ministry is holding its open day under the theme ‘A determined Island voice’.

“We have championed the ‘Blue Economy’ concept because the ocean represents our biggest opportunity in terms of sustainable development. We have also sought to build on our encouraging debt reduction plan by proposing debt for adaptation swaps – a means by which creditor countries can positively contribute to the fight against climate change by helping us further reduce our debt burden – a challenge which has threatened to suffocate more than one island economy,” he stressed.

When he spoke about Seychelles’ bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, Minister Adam said it will involve committing more resources to our diplomatic efforts but by planning our bid well in advance and these additional resources will contribute towards improving Seychelles’ effectiveness in multiple forums.

“We must ask ourselves the fundamental question on whether we believe in a reactive or proactive approach to international relations. Whether in the context of the UN Security Council, World Trade Organisation, or global negotiations on change – should we be prepared to unquestioning acquiescence to rules negotiated but which bind us nonetheless? We have a right to bring our contributions to the table. We have a responsibility to a strong and determined voice for those whose voices are often marginalised,” he said.

After the ceremony as tradition a symbolic cake matching the chosen theme was cut by Minister Adam along with PS Loustau-Lalanne and Ambassador Barry Faure.
The cake had the theme ‘A Determined Island Voice’ on top surrounded by smaller cup cakes with the Seychelles flag on them representing all those who are living in Seychelles, our voices and us as a nation.

 

 

 

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