Newly accredited ambassadors call on Minister Radegonde |08 September 2022

Israeli ambassador Michael Lotem in a souvenir photo with Foreign Affairs Minister Sylvestre Radegonde

Two newly accredited ambassadors paid a courtesy visit to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, at Maison Quéau de Quinssy, on Tuesday.

The newly accredited diplomats are the ambassador for the State of Israel, Michael Lotem, and the high commissioner of Tanzania, Dr John

They both presented their credentials to President Wavel Ramkalawan that same day.

In his meeting with Ambassador Lotem, Minister Radegonde congratulated him on his accreditation and stated that Seychelles values the friendship that exists between the two countries since the establishment of bilateral relations in June 1992.

The minister noted that while Seychelles was greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Israel became the number one tourism market for Seychelles once it opened its borders, and for that, the minister expressed his appreciation to the Israeli people.

Both diplomats agreed that apart from tourism, there are other potential areas of cooperation that can be explored such as trade, investment, capacity building, maritime security, agriculture, and technology.

Ambassador Lotem gave his assurance to push for increased cooperation by promoting private sector engagements from Israel to create more opportunities that will enhance the commercial and people-to-people bond between Seychelles and Israel.

Mr Lotem will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Also present at the meeting were ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave, principal secretary for the foreign affairs department; Robert Stravens, honorary consul of the State of Israel; and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism.

In his meeting with the Tanzanian HC, Minister Radegonde also congratulated him on his accreditation and conveyed his gratitude for the continued support that Tanzania has extended to Seychelles throughout the years.

“Seychelles and Tanzania have shared a longstanding relationship that dates back to post-Seychelles Independence. This relationship needs to be nurtured for the benefit of both countries,” expressed Minister Radegonde.

Minister Radegonde and HC Simbachawene discussed ongoing collaborations between the two countries, in particular, the assistance being provided by the Tanzanian Prison Service (TPS) with the recruitment of Tanzanian prison workers, new areas of cooperation, such as in the tourism and maritime sector and the possibility of renewing cooperation in the security sector.

It was determined that a General Cooperation Agreement should be signed in the future to facilitate exchanges between Seychelles and Tanzania and to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in key areas of common interest.

“I look forward to working in close collaboration with your team to reinforce the bilateral relations between our two countries,” stated High Commissioner Simbachawene.

HC Simbachawene will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Also present at the meeting were Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave and high officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism.

Press release from the foreign affairs department