Turkey and Seychelles share "excellent" bilateral ties and support each other in the international arena, the Indian Ocean island nation's top diplomat Sylvestre Radegonde said.
"Relations between Turkey and Seychelles are excellent. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, we have diplomatically supported each other in terms of our positions in several international fora," Radegonde told Anadolu Agency (AA).
"We support Turkey’s candidatures in several international organizations, but Turkey has also supported Seychelles in its development in many areas," he said on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Turkey also supported Seychelles in maritime security when the country was battling piracy off the coast of Somalia, said Radegonde, who also served as an ambassador to Turkey, adding they received Turkey’s support through NATO forces.
Responding to a question regarding the possibility of opening an embassy in Turkey, he said the economic situation has "sort of restricted" the country from expanding its diplomatic representation at the moment.
The country had 12 embassies around the world but now has nine.
"The closest embassy to Turkey at the moment is unfortunately in Paris. We hope that as the economy improves when we look at our diplomatic representation abroad, we hope that Turkey will be on top of the list for new embassies," he explained.
Radegonde said there is massive potential for cooperation between the two countries, especially in tourism.
Seychelles offers a beach holiday, while Turkey promises various options for tourists, he stated.
"Seychelles is small, and in terms of our numbers (of tourists) that we receive every year, it's limited.
"But what we can do is share our experiences. Our hope is that in terms of training, we will be able to gain some scholarships in tourism establishments here for Seychelles students to learn from Turkey," he added.
Radegonde added he hopes exchange programs between tourism experts from the two countries are developed "so that tourism operators, et cetera, would come and learn from Turkey; how you run your tourism industry, and then vice versa."
Seychelles, he said, has a tourism academy that offers courses in various sectors which would contribute to both countries' tourism sectors.
On another note, Seychelles' top diplomat was "pleasantly surprised" by the turnout and the topics discussed at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
"I find it a very good opportunity to meet my counterparts. It provides the venue for us to discuss and look at how we can make this world more peaceful, (and) safer," he remarked.
Radegonde noted that he met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for their first in-person meeting since he took the office in November 2020.
"We have spoken over the phone before, but it was my first meeting with him. And we had a chance to review the status of bilateral cooperation and see how we can further develop, broaden that relationship and deepen it," he said.
Radegonde said he is now expecting a visit from Çavuşoğlu, "and then we hope that the President of Seychelles (Wavel Ramkalawan) will be able to undertake an official visit here, and who knows, maybe after that a return visit by (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan."
