President Danny Faure received the Australian High Commissioner to the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Ms Jenny Ann Dee, at State House this morning.

President Faure welcomed High Commissioner Dee back to Seychelles and underlined that her working visit would reinforce the excellent Seychelles-Australian relations. He thanked the Australian Government for all the support given to Seychelles, especially in the area of strengthening the financial and economic system.

During the meeting, the President and High Commissioner Dee reviewed on-going bilateral cooperation in different areas such as education, drug rehabilitation, and maritime security. They also discussed avenues for new cooperation such as capacity building support for Seychelles in key sectors.

High Commissioner commended Seychelles for the leadership it has taken in the international arena, especially towards the blue economy and environmental issues. She also congratulated Seychelles for its official launch of the world’s first sovereign blue bond at the ‘Our Ocean Conference’ in Bali, Indonesia.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, High Commissioner Dee said that her country remains committed to working with Seychelles and other countries in the region in tackling maritime security challenges including illegal drug trafficking and illegal fishing. She also mentioned new cooperation between Seychelles and Australia.

“I am delighted that a new partnership agreement has been signed between our leading scientific Organisation; the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Seychelles Fishing Authority. They will work in partnership to carry out research and assessment on fish stocks and other areas in the fisheries sector, which is so important to the economy here.  Equally we have a new partnership signed between the Financial Intelligence Unit of Seychelles and the Australian equivalent; Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, looking at greater information sharing on anti-money laundering and financing to counter terrorism, knowing that the financial services sector is such an important part of the Seychellois economy as well,” said High Commissioner Dee.

H.E. High Commissioner Jenny Ann Dee presented her credentials to President Danny Faure on 8 August 2017.