The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to the Republic of Seychelles, HE. Ms. Mette Knudsen, presented her credentials to President James Michel at State House this morning.

President Michel and Ambassador Knudsen spoke about maritime security in the Indian Ocean region as well as the developments in the stabilization of Somalia.

They also spoke about Seychelles’ chairmanship of the East African Standby Force (EASF) in relation to the existing conflicts on the African continent. Ambassador Knudsen said that it is commendable that Seychelles is leading the EASF at the moment.

They also spoke about the need to tackle transnational crime in the Indian Ocean, including illegal fishing, drugs and arms trafficking.

Ambassador Knudsen told the national media that Denmark will continue to support Seychelles in the domain of maritime security.

“Our two countries have a lot of close cooperation when it comes to the maritime domain. The background has been the large problem of piracy which has been a challenge for both Denmark and Seychelles... we have also decided to support the Coast Guard of Seychelles with a number of small vessels, which will be handed over this year,” said Knudsen

Ambassador Knudsen said they also discussed economic growth and the tourism sector, noting that Seychelles has quite good growth. She said that Denmark has a lot of expertise in the renewable energy sector and that this is another potential area for cooperation.

Ambassador Mette Knudsen is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Also present during the meeting were the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport, Mr. Joel Morgan, the President's Diplomatic Adviser, Ambassador Callixte D'Offay, and the Honorary Consul of Denmark based in Seychelles, Mr. Basil Soundy.