The new Ambassador for the United States of America to the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Ambassador Henry V. Jardine, presented his credentials to President Wavel Ramkalawan yesterday morning during an accreditation ceremony held at State House.

President Ramkalawan congratulated Ambassador Jardine on his appointment and welcomed him to Seychelles. The President underlined the good bilateral cooperation that exists between Seychelles and the United States of America, where he also expressed the country’s gratitude for the various support provided by the U.S. in various areas.

“I remain thankful for the various support that the United States of America has extended to Seychelles over the years. I believe that together we can do more to broaden our cooperation in certain new areas. To this end, I am very much looking forward to working closely with you on the basis of mutual respect to further consolidate our relations,” said President Ramkalawan.

The Head of State and Ambassador Jardine discussed some of the key areas within which Seychelles and the United States of America can collaborate further, which include maritime security, social and economic development. They also spoke about the issue of democracy where Ambassador Jardine commended Seychelles for having made great strides in developing its democratic institutions, where it could be a model in the region for Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Following his presentation of credentials letter to the President, H.E. Ambassador Jardine also paid a courtesy call to the Vice President, Mr. Ahmed Afif.

Speaking to the local press after the ceremony, Ambassador Jardine said that today marks a positive step for him to finally be able to present his credentials to President Ramkalawan and to represent the United States of America to the people of Seychelles.

Ambassador Jardine will be based in Mauritius. Diplomatic relations between the United States of America and the Republic of Seychelles were established on 29 June 1976.

Also present yesterday morning was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Vivienne Fock-Tave and the Principal Counsellor, Bilateral Affairs Division, Foreign Affairs Department, Mrs. Johnette Stephen.