Following
bilateral discussions held between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his
Seychelles counterpart James Alix Michel on June 30, in Mahé, Sri Lanka
and Seychelles signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Defence
Cooperation, a Bilateral
Air Services Agreement and a MoU on Vocational Training and Youth
Development. |
| The signing ceremony itself (Lanka) |
The Sri Lankan
President, accompanied by Ministers and high-level officials of the
government, on Monday concluded a two-day state visit to Seychelles
undertaken at the invitation of President Michel.
During a meeting with the President
James Michel, Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, confirmed that his country's national
carrier, SriLankan Airlines (UL), is "keen" to start flights to Seychelles this
year.
The
two leaders emphasized that the establishment of air links between the
two Indian Ocean islands will be a catalyst for further strengthening
the economic partnership between the two countries and efforts
should be expedited to establish such links as soon as possible following
the signing of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement.
The details of the new routes will be further discussed in the near future.
"The new flights will surely open doorways for business, tourism, cooperation and trade exchanges between Seychelles and Sri Lanka. Seychelles can become a gateway to Africa and other parts of the world. The air links will be a catalyst to ensure increased cooperation between our two countries," President Michel has said.
The details of the new routes will be further discussed in the near future.
Of
late, with the ongoing global economic crisis, various Indian Ocean
island states have either signed or revised existing Bilateral Air
Services agreements as a means of tapping into new markets.
