Seychelles and the Combined Maritime Forces reinforce maritime cooperation

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During a courtesy call by the Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), Captain James Byron on Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, on Monday 17th April at Maison Quéau de Quinssy, both parties agreed that illicit drug trafficking is a shared problem that can only be tackled with shared solutions.

Minister Radegonde explained that ‘illegal drugs are a big problem for Seychelles and we welcome cooperation to aid the fight in ensuring maritime security.” Another avenue being looked into is the adoption of new methods and technology, namely surveillance drones, which will aid in real-time surveillance of Seychelles’ territorial waters.

On his part, Captain Byron commended the initiative and noted that it is important that they also coordinate their efforts with EUNAFOR as it will allow for better allocation of resources. “The CMF will be delighted to explore cooperation in drone surveillance with Seychelles” stated Captain Byron.  He added that the CMF will soon be setting up a centre of excellence for Maritime Domain Awareness which is expected to be beneficial to everyone involved in maritime security.

Captain Byron highlighted that he is looking forward to participating in Operation Southern Readiness in July this year, which is an annual capacity building exercise conducted by CMF, in Seychelles, with the aim of promoting security and prosperity across international waters.

Minister Radegonde wished Captain Byron and his team success in their upcoming meetings.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism - Foreign Affairs Department, Republic of Seychelles.