📷 Photo: State House (Seychelles), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
VICTORIA, Seychelles — President Dr Patrick Herminie used a three-day official visit to La Réunion this week as guest of honour at France’s National Day celebrations to underline half a century of Seychelles-France diplomatic relations and to widen cooperation between the two Indian Ocean neighbours.
Herminie was in La Réunion from 13 to 15 July at the invitation of the Préfecture, with the highlight of the programme his participation in the official Bastille Day ceremony on 14 July, attended alongside the Prefect of La Réunion, Patrice Latron, and senior French and regional authorities. The visit came in the year that marks both the 50th anniversary of Seychelles’ independence and 50 years of formal diplomatic ties between Seychelles and France, established in 1976.
In his address, delivered in French at the reception hosted by the Prefect in the gardens of the Hôtel de Préfecture in Saint-Denis, the President extended congratulations to President Emmanuel Macron, the French government and the French people on their national day. He described the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity as universal values that continue to inspire nations committed to peace, democracy and human dignity. The visit coincided with the traditional Bastille Day military parade, in which a detachment from the Seychelles Defence Forces, including a platoon from the Tazar special forces, took part, illustrating the depth of the bilateral military partnership.
Speaking alongside Latron at the Créolia Hotel in Saint-Denis, Herminie reviewed cooperation in defence, security, the fight against drug trafficking, disaster management, education and sport. He thanked France for training received by Seychellois officers in La Réunion and metropolitan France, including courses delivered to members of the Seychelles police rapid intervention unit by the Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale. Herminie also expressed appreciation for French Navy support against piracy and illegal fishing in the region’s vast exclusive economic zones, and for France’s role in joint patrols that have led to several drug seizures and the interception of vessels engaged in illicit traffic. France’s continued assistance during the recent fire on Praslin was singled out for praise.
In a parallel engagement in the regional council, Herminie held bilateral talks with Huguette Bello, President of La Réunion’s Regional Council, where the two leaders agreed to modernise the framework cooperation agreement between the two islands and stressed that a direct air link between Seychelles and Réunion is crucial to combining the two destinations. Cooperation ahead of the next Indian Ocean Island Games was identified as a priority area. Herminie also expressed interest in the model of the Régiment du Service Militaire Adapté as a possible source of inspiration for technical and vocational training programmes in Seychelles, with particular relevance for the country’s young people.
The visit is described by the Seychelles government as reflecting long-standing maritime, cultural and economic ties in the Indian Ocean, anchored in shared history, a common Creole language and family connections. According to the Seychelles presidency, the working sessions identified cooperation on regional challenges such as climate resilience, health, food security, and youth and cultural exchange as priorities for the next phase of the relationship. Herminie is the second Seychellois Head of State to visit La Réunion, underscoring the symbolic weight of the trip for the bilateral and regional partnership.
Sources cited: Africa-Newsroom – Seychelles President Herminie holds bilateral talks with the President of the Regional Council of La Réunion.
Source: SN
