After almost 26 years of diplomatic relations, established on October 3, 1988, Rajatha Piyatissa presented his credentials to Seychelles President James Michel as the new resident High Commissioner.
Guard of honour saluting the new resident Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Seychelles, Rajatha Piyatissa upon arrival at State House on Tuesday.
He told the local press that he is 'ready for the challenge' ahead; to lead the Sri Lankan High Commission in Seychelles and see more cooperation programmes developed.
The diplomatic office will be based in the Capital City building in the centre of the Seychelles capital of Victoria, the same building which houses the Sri Lankan Bank of Ceylon, which started operating in January this year.
Trade and investment are i some of the areas which Piyatissa said he would be focusing on during his mandate, areas of cooperation he says would be beneficial to both countries.
“I see a lot of trade relations we can have, because Seychelles has a lot of resources and some of them are not being fully utilized. Sri Lanka has the expertise especially when it comes to coconut, cinnamon and in tourism industry. So our expertise and with our resources, together will be beneficial for our countries,” he said.
Sri Lanka’s move to set up a mission in Seychelles follows recent state visits by the presidents of the two states.
During President Michel’s visit to Sri Lanka in 2012, the heads of state of the two Commonwealth member nations witnessed the signing of agreements in various fields such as health, labour and education.
During Rajapaksa’s visit to Seychelles last year at a time the two countries signed more bilateral agreements.
Since then, the agreements have started to materialize for example there has been increased cooperation in fisheries as well as the opening of air access, with Sri Lanka’s airline Mihin Lanka now flying to Seychelles.(HC)
Courtesy: -Seychelles Nation / Photo:Seychelles News Agency
