Faure Congratulates UK Foreign Secretary Miliband, Reflects on 50 Years of Seychelles-UK Ties
Source: https://mfa.gov.sc/news/minister-faure-sends-congratulations-to-the-uks-new-foreign-secretary/
Released: 2026-07-23
Source: https://mfa.gov.sc/news/minister-faure-sends-congratulations-to-the-uks-new-foreign-secretary/
Released: 2026-07-23
VICTORIA, Seychelles. Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora Barry Faure has written to Ed Miliband MP to congratulate him on his appointment as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Faure extended warm congratulations and best wishes for a successful tenure, marking the appointment as a moment to reflect on the long partnership between Seychelles and the United Kingdom.
The two countries are celebrating fifty years of diplomatic relations in 2026, the same year Seychelles marks the fiftieth anniversary of its independence. Faure framed the milestone as a chance to look back at what the friendship has built and at what more the two governments can do together.
Cooperation between Seychelles and the United Kingdom has continued to expand over five decades, with education, health, maritime security, economic security and environmental protection named as the sectors where the partnership has deepened. Faure pointed to a shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law and a rules-based international order as the foundation for that work.
The Chevening Scholarship Programme and the Manchester Twinning Programme have given Seychellois opportunities to study and train in the United Kingdom. A more recent collaboration between the University of Seychelles and the University of Oxford has opened fresh avenues for academic cooperation and research, building on the same tradition of educational exchange.
On maritime security, Faure noted the United Kingdom’s contribution to the Combined Maritime Forces and broader cooperation in the Western Indian Ocean, including work to promote regional stability and resilience against piracy, transnational organised crime and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Seychelles also values the United Kingdom’s longstanding advocacy for Small Island Developing States, including its support for the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and its commitment to the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. Faure closed by saying that the support is deeply appreciated and reflects the shared resolve of both countries to tackle the specific challenges island nations face.
