Sri Lanka to establish resident mission in Seychelles to strengthen ties
Tuesday, 24 September 2013 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Sri Lanka will establish a resident mission in Victoria as a measure to strengthen the ties with Seychelles, one of the internationally active countries in the African region, the Government said.
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has given the approval to a proposal made by the Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris to establish the Resident Diplomatic Mission of Sri Lanka in Victoria and to proceed with connected activities.
Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Sri Lanka were established at Ambassadorial level in 1988 and currently the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Pretoria is concurrently accredited to Seychelles.
However, following Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s state visit to the tiny African nation in late June this year, the two countries have decided to broaden and deepen economic and diplomatic ties.
During the President Rajapaksa’s visit, the two countries agreed to establish direct air links as a way to catalyse trade and tourism between the two island nations.
As a result Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines will launch direct services to Seychelles in October 2013.
In addition, the state-run Bank of Ceylon, with the concurrence of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka will establish a Bank of Ceylon Branch in Seychelles and the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation will also to establish a branch office on the island. Sri Lanka’s Nawaloka Group is also considering the establishment of a hospital in the country.
