VICTORIA, Seychelles, A staff delegation of the United States Congress met the Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne, on Monday afternoon at the Assembly building in Victoria. The visit is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen US-Africa relations and to exchange views on legislative practices between the two countries. The meeting was held behind closed doors before the two sides posed for a souvenir photograph.
The Speaker was accompanied by the deputy Speaker Gervais Henrie, leader of the opposition Sebastien Pillay, leader of government business Bernard Georges, chairperson of the Defence and Security Committee Clifford Andre, chairperson of the Internal Affairs Committee Waven William, Clerk of the National Assembly Tania Isaacs, and deputy Clerk Alexandria Faure. The broad representation reflected the importance both sides attached to the working visit. Members used the opportunity to raise specific issues affecting their constituencies.
The US delegation included US Ambassador Henry Jardine, Rear Admiral Calvin Foster, US Senior Defence Attache Jeff Schwamb, Africa Subcommittee Staff Director Joe Foltz, deputy Staff Director Laura Fullerton, Senior Advisor Rachel Walker, Communications Director Leslie Shedd, charge d’affaires Adam Loutfi, and professional staff members Christina Tsafoulis, Chris Kulukundis and Dwayne Clark. The delegation held wide-ranging discussions with their Seychelles counterparts over the course of the afternoon. The two sides also shared views on maritime security cooperation in the Western Indian Ocean.
Discussions began with an outline of the aims of the visit from the delegation, noting the improvement of US-Africa relations and the joint formulation of policy via the legislature. Mutual topics, such as maritime security, environmental protection, trade and investment, and the exchange of parliamentary practices, were discussed at length. Both sides noted that despite the change in dynamics of certain cases, the longstanding friendship between the two countries remains strong.
Speaker Mancienne noted that it was a pleasure to have the exchange with the delegation and remarked that the topics discussed were of mutual importance. The improvement of joint engagement and democratic practices was well received, with the Speaker thanking them for their time. The delegation then presented the Speaker with a token of appreciation before the meeting came to a close.
