President Danny Faure hosted a reception on the occasion of the visit of H.E. Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines at State House yesterday evening.

During the reception, President Faure formally welcomed and thanked the Prime Minister for accepting to be the Guest of Honour during the National Day Celebrations.

“Our island nations, although oceans apart, are linked by the powerful bonds of our shared history, our common language, and our strong cultural links. Your presence here today, Excellency, is a true testimony of the warm friendship between our nations, and we wish to thank you most sincerely for accepting our invitation to attend this year’s National Day celebrations as our Guest of Honour.

Seychelles and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are guided by the same values, deeply committed to democracy, the rule of law, peace, and shared prosperity for our people. Moreover, as Small Island Developing States, we share the conviction that the natural beauty and environment of our countries are not gifts to be taken for granted, but precious resources that must be protected.

Seychelles regards St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a great partner in our efforts to bring to the forefront of all global dialogues, the challenges faced by Small Island Nations. These include the urgent need for climate action, environmental conservation, and greater multilateralism. We are convinced that through our continued engagements our countries will build upon firm foundations in areas such as sustainable development, climate resilience, blue economy, and cultural preservation” added President Faure.

The President reiterated the commitment of Seychelles towards deepening of bonds of friendship and bilateral relations with St Vincent and the Grenadines focused on elevating cooperation to the highest level, through exchanges of expertise, through people-to-people connections, through continuous dialogue and, more importantly, through working on common platforms to foster global solidarity on matters of critical importance.

Present at State House for the reception was the Vice President, Mr Vincent Meriton, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Francis Macgregor, the Designated Minister, Mrs Macsuzy Mondon, the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly, Honourable Charles De Comarmond, Ministers, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Ahmed Afif, Members of the National Assembly, members of the Diplomatic Corps and other distinguished guests.