President Faure hosts President of Maldives to reception |03 August 2019

President Solih addressing guests at the reception

President Danny Faure yesterday received the President of the Republic of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed at State House for a reception to welcome them on their first visit to the Republic of Seychelles.

Present were high ranking officials as well as key dignitaries from government agencies and departments as well as officials from the judicial system.

The ceremony commenced with an address by President Faure in which he congratulated Maldives for winning the bid to host the next Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) to be held in Male, Maldives in 2023.

“It is a privilege to extend a warm welcome to Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and his delegation to the shores of Seychelles. I also hope that you will depart with fond memories of a system of a sister island state. Your presence here today is testimony to the importance our sister Indian Ocean countries place on expanding an already fruitful friendship within our region. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations decades ago, our relationship has flourished into an excellent partnership and together we have continued to progress on the path to common understanding, mutual respect and shared accomplishments,” President Faure stated.

He commended the Republic of Maldives on having won the bid to host the Indian Ocean Islands Games in 2023 and noted the major accomplishments of both countries over the years.

“I commend the Maldives to have been bestowed the responsibility to unite the people of the Indian Ocean through sports and to continue with the legacy of crafting lasting friendships. I wish your country the very best of success. Seychelles and Maldives may be regarded as small nations within the global community but our dynamism and perseverance has designated us as giants to bring to the forefront key deliberations on the negative impacts of climate change to environmental deprivation,” President Faure said.

“We believe that Seychelles and Maldives should enforce areas like the Blue Economy and tourism activities. Gifted with incredible natural beauty, our two nations share a privilege of being among the well-known tourism industry destinations in the world. We are hopeful that through our renewed commitment, we will seize the opportunity to exchange our experiences and expertise, for the deeper benefit of our two peoples. To propel our cooperation, our bilateral cooperation touched on the need to establish cooperation in areas of shared interest such as fisheries, trade, investment and youth and sports amongst others,” President Faure noted.

President Faure then proposed a toast to President Solih and to the people of Maldives, expressing his sincere appreciation to them.

In his address, President Solih expressed his appreciation to President Faure and the people of Seychelles for the warm welcome and generous hospitality.

President Solih spoke of the partnership between Seychelles and Maldives stating numerous areas of cooperation including the Blue Economy, tourism and youth and sports.

“Despite the proximity, the similarity and the shared history, this is the first ever visit by a Maldivian President to the Republic of Seychelles. It marks a milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries. This is an indication of the goodwill and determination of the two countries and this relationship to strengthen our friendship as both of our nations have a lot to gain from the expertise of each other,” President Solih noted.

He referred to the next IOIG to be held in 2023 and thanked the Republic of Seychelles on behalf of all Maldivians for facilitating the process for the Maldives, stating that the Maldives is committed to empowering communities by providing them with more opportunities to flourish in their areas of interest.

President Solih concluded by stating that he hopes Seychelles and the Maldives continue to share excellent diplomatic relations in the coming years.

President Solih also extended his invitation to President Faure, welcoming him to the Maldives in the near future.