Seychelles Ambassador Racombo Presents Credentials to King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
VICTORIA, Seychelles — Seychelles’ Ambassador to Belgium, Kenneth Racombo, on Wednesday presented his credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. The presentation ceremony is the formal step in accrediting an ambassador to a host country, and marks the start of Ambassador Racombo’s working relationship with the Netherlands. The ceremony was attended by officials from the Dutch foreign ministry and from the Seychelles Department of Foreign Affairs. The accreditation is being treated in Victoria as a marker of the importance of the bilateral relationship.
During the presentation ceremony, His Majesty the King Willem-Alexander and Ambassador Racombo had the opportunity to discuss various issues of mutual interests to Seychelles and the Netherlands, including the support from the Netherlands to Seychelles in the maritime security domain. The discussion reflects the long-standing cooperation between the two countries in the area of maritime security, with the Netherlands providing support for capacity building in the Seychelles Defence Forces and the Coast Guard. The discussion also touched on the country’s blue economy agenda, and the role that Dutch expertise in port management and marine engineering can play in supporting it.
The ambassador emphasised that the blue economy is an essential tool that promotes the creation of jobs, environmental protection, the empowerment of coastal communities and responsible socio-economic growth. King Willem-Alexander and Ambassador Racombo also reflected on the different capacity-building opportunities provided to Seychelles by the Netherlands, and further discussed possible cooperation and opportunities for Seychellois students at institutions in the Netherlands, in the near future. The discussion on student mobility is a new dimension to the bilateral relationship, and is being seen as a sign of the breadth of the agenda now in place between the two countries.
Ambassador Racombo expressed Seychelles’ appreciation for the Netherlands’ commitments to the European Union (EU) cooperation programme, which contributed to the economic and social development of various sectors in Seychelles. The ambassador also seized the opportunity to convey the government’s appreciation and gratitude to the Netherlands, and reiterated the wish of the Seychelles government to further deepen the cordial relationship between the two countries. The relationship is being framed in official communications as a partnership of equals, with both countries committed to broadening the agenda in the period ahead.
The presentation of credentials follows Ambassador Racombo’s accreditation to Belgium in recent years, and reflects the practice of accrediting the Seychelles ambassador to Belgium to the Netherlands as a non-resident ambassador. The arrangement is a pragmatic recognition of the limited number of senior diplomatic staff in the Seychelles foreign service, and of the importance of maintaining a continuous dialogue with key European partners. The Department of Foreign Affairs is expected to release a fuller readout of the discussions between the ambassador and the Dutch king in the coming days.
