President Danny Faure’s state visit to Mauritius - Relations, cooperation highlighted during banquet |28 October 2017

The numerous actions and initiatives Mauritius and Seychelles have carried out together as a result of their fruitful collaborations and strengthened bilateral relations over the past decades, were highlighted by Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and President Danny Faure on Thursday evening. 

This was during a banquet dinner the Mauritian PM and his wife Lady Kobita Jugnauth organised at Le Méridien Pointe Aux Piments in honour of President Faure and his delegation as part of a four-day State visit to Mauritius.

A large number of Mauritian and Seychellois dignitaries and diplomats attended the event to witness the two leaders give their commitment to further strengthening ties between them and explore other areas of cooperation. This was through a toast which the two leaders raised.

PM Jugnauth said President Faure’s State visit is testimony of the deep mutual respect and friendship between the two neighbours.

He added that the two countries share the same values, way of life, respect of human rights and the desire to preserve the natural beauty of our two islands.

“The fact that we can communicate in Creole is an example of the strong linguistic and cultural affinity we share,” PM Jugnauth remarked.

PM Jugnauth said he still cherishes some memories of a visit he made to Seychelles in 2011 to attend the 9th Mauritius-Seychelles Joint Commission in his capacity as Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and Economy.

“During that visit a double taxation avoidance agreement was signed between our two countries and today I am pleased to say that since then many Mauritian families and financial services centres have established in Seychelles and there is a fruitful collaboration between our regulatory institutions in this sector,” PM Jugnauth said.

He went on to commend President Faure for his leadership qualities, highlighting the different positions he had occupied leading to his assuming the higher office of president noting that this is a marked sign of continuity in development for Seychelles as well as the region.

He also applauded Seychelles for its remarkable role and numerous initiatives for environmental and marine conservation protection and promotion, noting that Mauritius has much to gain from Seychelles’ experience in this area.

With regard to bilateral relations between the two countries, PM Jugnauth said these have witnessed a steady qualitative and quantitative enhancement over the past few years noting that the Mauritius-Seychelles Joint Commission Bilateral Cooperation is paving the way for stronger and closer cooperation in a broad range of areas, namely health, tourism and agriculture.

PM Jugnauth also talked about the common challenges Mauritius, Seychelles and all neighbouring countries in the region are facing even though they are all yearning to have a peaceful and conducive environment for development. These include among others drug trafficking, transnational crimes, piracy, illegal fishing

The Mauritian PM noted that the fight against drug trafficking is one that Seychelles and Mauritius should strengthen their efforts to find common solutions to efficiently deal with.

Additionally PM Jugnauth noted the worrying trend of piracy gradual re-emergence in the region and pointed out that the active involvement of Seychelles during its chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia testifies its commitment to promoting maritime security, something he says will continue to grow from the experience of Seychelles as Mauritius assumes the chairmanship of the group in January next year.

He went on to add that this will be another opportunity for the two sister countries to work together and further strengthen ties between them.

PM Jugnauth also commended the way our two countries are working together and have agreed to jointly manage the continental shelf of the Mascareignes Plateau.

“We will continue to work together to ensure the long term prospects of our fishing industries as we reiterated during the last session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission in Indonesia this year,” PM Jugnauth pointed out.

On the continent level, PM Jugnauth said an economic transformation agenda is being worked on to bring together leaders and other key stakeholders from the continent for which he has extended an invitation to President Faure to take part in a related forthcoming meeting early next year.  

PM Jugnauth also applauded and welcomed the fact that the two countries are able to work in solidarity to make their voices heard and defend their common interests in international fora like the United Nations.

President Faure, on his part, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the “warm welcome and gracious hospitality extended to him and his delegation” and commended the excellent diplomatic relations the two countries have shared during the past three decades.

“Our two nations continue to share a special bond built on our affinity and common heritage as sister island nations,” President Faure said, noting that the same vibrant culture, language and history place even greater emphasis on our vision for a shared future together and our place in the world as island neighbours in the Indian Ocean.

“Our natural affinity is also reflected in the values we have in common, in the ocean that unites us, our joint dedication to advancing the cause of small island developing states, a shared vision for development of our countries and region, a development that is solid, lasting and sustainable,” he said, affirming his engagement to work with Mauritius to preserve and foster this unbreakable link of friendship.

He went on to congratulate PM Jugnauth and Mauritius for being ranked as the most competitive economy in sub-Saharan Africa noting that “this is linked to your country’s economic growth, innovative potential, and an all-encompassing vision”.

“We recognise your country’s great achievements which are an inspiration to the region and the world. We thank you for taking your country and our partnership to new heights,” President Faure said, expressing the hope that Mauritius will benefit from his leadership for years to come.

President Faure noted that Seychelles greatly values its friendship with Mauritius and he commended the steady partnership that the two countries have in different sectors like education, tourism, health, capacity-building, culture…and highlighted the fact that they have recently extended their cooperation in other areas such as security and financial services.

He pointed out that even though challenging issues like climate change, transnational crimes and others continue to impact on the two countries’ different communities, their commitment to sustainable development is unwavering.

With regard to economic developments President Faure said the two countries are harnessing societal links to strengthen business ties.

“We are committed to continue working together towards forging a more comprehensive economic and commercial relationship which drives economic growth and prosperity for our two nations. We need to promote stronger business ties in trade and investment and expanding business opportunities. The expansion of maritime and air links has a critical role to play in this regard,” he added.

The president pointed out that the two countries welcome the initiatives taken by the private sector of our two countries to create even stronger frameworks for expanding our economic prosperity.

They also welcomed the links established between the civil society bodies of our two countries as well as city to city relations which include the sharing of best practices in service delivery and development, capacity-building and education.

“I am pleased that we are opening doors for each other today in new and meaningful ways,” he added.

Meanwhile, President Faure and his delegation had a busy schedule yesterday holding bilateral talks with PM Jugnauth and his delegation.

Following their discussions the two leaders exchanged gifts and President Faure signed the visitors’ book.

President Faure was also received by the Minister for Arts and Culture Prithvirajsing Roopun and the Minister for Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research Leela Dev Dookun-Luchoomun for a visit of the Aapravasi Ghat world heritage site in Port Louis.

Aapravasi Ghat is a ruined building complex located in Port Louis, the site of the first British colony to receive indentured or contracted, labour workforce from India. From 1849 to 1923, half a million Indian indentured labourers passed through the complex before being transported to plantations throughout the British Empire.

Leaving the Aapravasi Ghat, President Faure visited the Indian Ocean Commission headquarters at Ebène where he was received by the secretary general, Hamada Madi Bolero.

Following the short visit during which he interacted with staff, President Faure was the guest of honour at a lunch hosted by his Mauritian counterpart Ameenah Gurib-Fakhim at State House in Le Réduit.

Text: Marie-Anne Lepathy in Mauritius

Photos: Mervin Marie