VICTORIA, Seychelles, Fatou Harerimana, the new High Commissioner of Rwanda to Seychelles, presented her credentials to President Wavel Ramkalawan yesterday morning at State House. The ceremony was attended by senior officials from both governments. The accreditation marks the start of a new chapter in the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was on a state visit to Seychelles last year, marking a significant diplomatic exchange. Since then, several memorandums of understanding (MoU) have been signed, contributing towards the strengthening of ties between the two nations. Amongst these agreements was the mutual waiver of visas for travellers from both countries, a move that has been welcomed by citizens on both sides.
In her remarks, the new High Commissioner noted that the discussions during President Kagame’s visit covered many areas, and now the focus is on how to implement those MoUs. Memorandums have been signed to foster collaboration in health, agriculture, tourism, investment, defence, and security. Rwanda and Seychelles also waived the visa requirement for both nationalities, allowing Rwandese to enjoy coming to Seychelles without visa and vice versa.
During her four-year tenure as high commissioner, Ms Harerimana intends to focus on the development of all sectors. Seychelles is highly successful in tourism and in Rwanda we are only beginning to invest in tourism. We hope you could also help Rwanda in building up our tourism sector, said High Commissioner Harerimana. The collaboration is expected to bring mutual benefits to both nations as they share expertise in various fields.
President Ramkalawan congratulated the new high commissioner and underlined that her accreditation reflects the strong commitment between Seychelles and Rwanda to further cement their bilateral relations and elevate cooperation to new heights. Also present at the accreditation ceremony was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde, principal secretary for foreign affairs Ambassador Vivienne Fock-Tave, and other senior officials. Ms Harerimana is the fifth Rwandan high commissioner to be accredited to Seychelles and will be based in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
