President Danny Faure met with the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force (Somalia) , Major General Charlie Stickland, at State House this morning. Major General Stickland and his delegation are in Seychelles to conclude the third and final exercise as part of Operation ATALANTA on the prosecution process, with multiple local agencies across law and enforcement.

President Faure thanked the European Union (EU)  and its naval force for all the assistance provided to Seychelles over the years. The President highlighted the progress made over the years in terms of the coordinated approach being used in the fight against piracy, the reduction number of piracy incidents, and reiterated Seychelles’ commitment to strengthening the strong partnership that exists between Seychelles and the EU. He also mentioned that next year will be mark the 10-year anniversary since Operation ATALANTA was launched, and thanked the EU for their work in ensuring seas remain safe.

During the discussions, Major-General Stickland briefed President Faure on the final exercise and its outcome. He also discussed the need to raise public awareness regionally on the link between enforcing the rule of law on both land and sea, and the importance of protecting a country’s territory. They also spoke about how to better coordinate collaboration on maritime security both locally and regionally, in line with championing the blue economy and boosting commercial development.

Speaking to the local press after the meeting, Major-General Stickland described the training sessions with the law and enforcement agencies as successful. He said that now the Government of Seychelles has their own experts to train the next generation of law and enforcement officers through its different processes.

The EU launched the European Union Naval Force ATALANTA (EU NAVFOR) in December 2008 to boost maritime security in the region and prevent piracy and robbery at sea. This was launched within the framework of the European Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) and International Law. On 30 July 2018 the Council of the EU extended the Mandate of Operation ATALANTA until December 2020.