Seychelles President offers to help SL fight drug menace
Visiting Seychelles President Danny Faure praised President Maithripala Sirisena’s campaign against illegal drugs and offered his country’s fullest cooperation to help eradicate the smuggling of drugs and narcotics when he called on the President at the President’s Official Residence yesterday.
The two leaders discussed a wide range of bilateral relations, with special emphasis on tourism, fisheries and agriculture during the meeting.
President Faure said Seychelles too faces the menace of drugs being smuggled into the country and said the two countries should share intelligence in their joint fight against drugs. President Sirisena, referring to the powerful drug cartels that existed
President Sirisena, referring to the powerful drug cartels that existed in many countries, said many leaders said many leaders fear to talk against the drug mafia
in many countries, said many leaders fear to talk against the drug mafia and said he was glad that President Faure fearlessly spoke out against this menace.“i think of you as a dear friend with a common cause,” President Sirisena said. President Faure replied,“i am 100% with you in our common fight against the drug menace”.
President Faure thanked Sri Lanka for providing high-calibre professionals to Seychelles and said, “Our students learn from Sri Lankan teachers, your doctors look after our health and your legal experts provide us excellent judiciary services”. He said the former Attorney General of Seychelles,anthony Fernando, is also a Sri Lankan who is now a respected judge there.“now we do not go to Europe for legal expertise, we come to Sri Lanka,” the Seychelles President said. President Faure invited President Sirisena to be the chief guest at a function to be held in October 2018 in Seychelles to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Seychelles Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Michael Benstrong, Presidential secretary Ms Aude Labaleine, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Esala Weerakoon and Seychelles Ambassador David Pierre also participated in the discussion.