US ambassador pays courtesy call on Internal Affairs minister |30 March 2023
The US (left) and Seychelles delegations during the meeting
The Minister for Internal Affairs, Errol Fonseka, met with the United States ambassador to Seychelles, Henry Jardine, last week in one of the first courtesy calls after his accreditation.
Ambassador Jardine spoke of the ever improving partnership between Seychelles and the United States, highlighting the various cooperation between the two nations.
The Minister discussed areas for further cooperation with the law enforcement entities, immigration and maritime, and is hopeful that a more supportive relationship will be established.
Minister Fonseka also introduced the principal secretary for Immigration and Civil Status, Alain Volcère and the Commissioner of Prisons, Raymond St Ange.
The conversation focused on the ministry’s goal of working proactively, as the minister explained the importance of capacity building and equipping law enforcement and immigration officers with the necessary tools to carry out their jobs effectively.
Minister Fonseka stated that, “taking pro-active approaches to crime is part of the process of cementing change. The ministry is focused on further enhancing border control and securing our maritime territories”.
The recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Seychelles Prison Service (SPS) and the Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles (ACCS) was mentioned as a tremendous step in upholding the law and taking action again corruptive practices.
Commissioner St Ange spoke of the challenges faced by the SPS, emphasising that management of foreign prisoners remains a major concern.
He also elaborated how the SPS through different projects and programmes remains committed to training and enhancing the abilities of prison employees.
The ambassador spoke of the bio-metric passport being a first step in better securing Seychelles borders and how to enhance cooperation through the already established organisations operating in the country.
The minister also talked about other subjects such as further enhancing the security of the Seychelles passports, cybersecurity, improving policing practices, human trafficking and re-enforcing homeland security.
Ambassador Jardine was accompanied by James Donegan, counsellor of the United States of America in Seychelles and Nicolas Christian, second secretary and Seychelles Unit Head.
Contributed
