The President of the Republic, Mr. Danny Faure, delivered the Keynote address at the 8th Session of the Seychelles Honorary Consuls Conference held at the Savoy Resort and Spa yesterday.

President Faure officially declared the three day conference open in the presence of former Head of State, President James Mancham; Ministers; the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly, Senior Government Officials, Honorary Consuls and Consul Generals; and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Officials.

During his address, President Faure expressed Seychelles’ gratitude to all Honorary Consuls and Consuls General who are doing an excellent job at protecting the interests of Seychellois nationals and promoting Seychelles in their respective consular jurisdictions across the globe.

“Through your active presence you have not only made a difference in the lives of Seychellois nationals and provided greater traction to our country’s foreign policy, but you have, above all, portrayed the real image of the type of society that Seychelles is” added President Faure.

Addressing the guests present, President Faure reiterated that whilst we continue to promote sustainable growth and defend the ideals of fairness, equality in opportunity, social justice and distribution of wealth, all acts of government will be inspired by the three principles of good governance, transparency and accountability. “This is in order to build a prosperous Seychelles, faithful to the principles that have shaped its image as a Creole country; democratic, open to the world and rooted in its values; a country that cultivates and promotes peace. The actions of the Seychellois diplomacy must, naturally, continue to be part of this dynamic.”

President Faure highlighted that as a small island developing state, the opportunities and challenges that Seychelles faces are interwoven with that of the rest of the globalised world.

“Our Foreign Policy is orchestrated in accordance with the unique opportunities and threats our country faces.  We are a small group of islands nestled in the Indian Ocean.  We are therefore exposed to certain vulnerabilities that we must be able to address and remedy.  As a result, our greatest resources should be nurtured and harnessed so that we can utilize them effectively without ever shying away from our sustainability objectives. Sustainability is the bedrock of our livelihood,” said President Faure.

With the conference being held under the banner theme ‘Enhancing Seychelles International Engagement’ President Faure called for strengthening of partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Seychelles’ network of Honorary Consuls and Consuls Generals in line with attaining the goal of giving Seychelles a stronger presence within the community of nations, “With the same goal in mind, I ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further expand the current network of Honorary Consuls to those countries and key cities where we do not yet have any representation” said President Faure. “Let this Conference be an occasion for you to gather fresh information on Seychelles and allow you to share your ideas, exchange views and interact with your Minister and some of his colleagues and senior officials in Government and the private sector.  I look forward to reading your recommendations to improve our work for the service of our nation.”