Seychelles’ first envoy accredited to Nepal |19 March 2020

Ambassador Pillay presents his credentials to President Bhandari (Photo source: department of foreign affairs)

Selby Pillay is the first Seychelles ambassador to be accredited to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

He presented his credentials on Thursday March 5, 2020 to Nepalese President, the Rt. Hon. Bidya Devi Bhandari at the Rastrapati Bhavan, Shital Niwas of Kathmandu, which is the official workplace of the President.

The accreditation ceremony was conducted in the presence of the Nepalese foreign minister, chief of army staff, chief of protocol and other high-ranking officials.

The accreditation is a manifestation of the commitment of both Seychelles and Nepal to reinvigorate their efforts in areas of mutual interest, and to further boost the existing friendly bonds.

Ambassador Pillay conveyed President Danny Faure’s warm greetings of friendship, as well as the Seychelles government’s wish to elevate our engagements – both at the bilateral and multilateral levels – to greater heights.

Ambassador Pillay reassured President Bhandari that during his tenure he will “advocate for the further development of our collaborative efforts in areas of mutual interest such as in environment protection, tourism, and cultural exchange, for the mutual benefit of our two countries”.

Both countries share similar challenges and support each other across different global platforms on matters related to eco-tourism and environment, and in particular the urgency for global consensus on environmental protection.

As a country which is highly susceptible to climate change and has experienced diverse impacts on its environment and people, Nepal is ready to collaborate with Seychelles and is open to collaborate in areas concerning climate change adaptation and advocacy. Both sides are keen to share experiences and expertise in this area.

Considering that Seychelles and Nepal are currently discussing the possibility of signing an MoU on the Recruitment, Employment and Repatriation of workers, Ambassador Pillay took the opportunity to separately meet both the Nepalese foreign minister, Pradeep K. Gyawali, as well as Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Rameshwar Ray Yadav.

Both governments are fully committed and have expressed their engagement to sign the agreement as soon as possible, possibly by mid-2020. It is to be recalled that Seychelles already employs high-calibre Nepalese security personnel in both government and private institutions, as well as in other areas of importance such as agriculture.

Ambassador Selby Pillay was accompanied during his brief visit to Nepal by Seychelles’ newly approved honorary consul, Naresh Das.

The ambassador will continue to be based in New Delhi with jurisdiction over six other countries.

Press release from the department of foreign affairs