Messrs Fernando (left) and Bonnelame exchanging documents after the signing

Seychelles and Sri Lanka has signed an agreement of economic and technical cooperation, paving the way for closer ties between the two island nations.

The agreement was signed by Foreign Affairs minister Jeremie Bonnelame and his Sri Lankan counterpart Tyronne Fernando in a ceremony held Tuesday December 23 at the Maison Queau de Quinssy.

Highlighted by Minister Fernando after the signing was an agreement to establish a joint commission to work on schemes of cooperation. The minister said that he envisaged regular meetings of the commission, both in Victoria and the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, adding that he had invited Minister Bonnelame to visit Sri Lanka early in the new year.

Detailing some possible areas of cooperation, Minister Fernando spoke of the possibility of Sri Lankan assistance in training Seychellois teachers, working together on fisheries issues and attempting to dove-tail tourism efforts.

The Sri Lankan Minister said that many tourists who holiday in Sri Lanka look to combine their visit with a trip to a second destination and suggested that Seychelles would be an ideal port of call.

"Though we are a few thousand kilometres apart, we are both neighbours in the Indian Ocean and we felt that we should have much closer cooperation," the minister said.

In addition to being Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Mr Fernando has announced his candidacy for the post of United Nations Secretary General in 2006 and is also the current chair of the Indian Ocean Rim–Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR–ARC).

IOR-ARC, from which Seychelles withdrew in July this year, is a regional body joining countries from across the Indian Ocean, all the way from Australia to South Africa, via the likes of Indonesia, India, Iran, Yemen, Kenya and Mozambique.

Formed in Mauritius in 1997 IOR-ARC seeks to promote trade and build understanding between the member states.

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