Victoria, 18 de marzo._At the invitation of the Turkish government, Mr Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism attended the 2nd Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) from 11th to 13th March 2022 in Antalya, Turkey. The Forum under the theme of “Recoding Diplomacy” was hosted and inaugurated by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in the presence of the President of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoǧan. The ADF brought together participants from 75 countries, mainly 17 Heads of State and Government, 80 Ministers, 39 International Organization representatives.
During their bilateral talks, Mrs Rodriguez Camejo, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, thanked Seychelles for voting for the most recent resolution of the African Union calling for the lifting of the US blockades. She commented on the common difficulties that the Tourism industry of Seychelles and Cuba has been facing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She also remarked on Cuba’s efforts in combatting the virus by developing three home-grown vaccines and a forthcoming treatment in the form of nasal spray.
On his part, Minister Radegonde reassured the Deputy Minister of Seychelles’ commitment to the longstanding friendship shared by the two countries and highlighted that the closure of the Seychelles Embassy in Cuba was purely for financial reasons. He also expressed Seychelles’ Government’s gratitude for the assistance received from Cuba, especially in the Health Sector through the provision of health professionals from Cuba.
Minister Sylvestre Radegonde was accompanied by Mr Terry Romain, Acting High Commissioner based in London.
The information was published on the official website of the Seychelles Foreign Ministry and in the newspaper Today.