Outgoing Australian High Commissioner to Seychelles,  Jeffrey Scougall, paid a farewell visit to President France Albert Rene Tuesday February 10, at the end of what he deemed to have been three good years in the post.

On his final visit to State House, His Excellency Mr Scougall said that relations between Australia and Seychelles are strong, and sustained through common membership of the Commonwealth and other multilateral institutions.

H.E. Mr Scougall paying his farewell call on President Rene on Wednesday  at State House

According to H.E. Mr Scougall, Australia is taking a healthy interest in the Indian Ocean region and was disappointed by Seychelles withdrawal from the Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), but understood the need for prioritisation in the current national economic climate.

H.E. Mr Scougall said that his final discussion with President Rene had been wide ranging, and he had taken the opportunity to thank the President for cooperation between Seychelles and Australia.

The departing High Commissioner listed Seychellois students studying in Australia, Australian Naval visits to Seychelles and the Australia-built Cat Cocos as some of the achievements of recent Australian-Seychellois ties.

Seychelles and Australia established diplomatic relations on 29 June 1976 and H.E. Mr Scougall, who was accredited on 15 May 2001, was the tenth Australian High Commissioner to Seychelles. He is being replaced by Mr Ian McConvil, formerly accredited to Pakistan and Cambodia, and who is due to touch down in Mauritius in early March.

H.E. Mr Scougall said that he planned to retire at the end of his current posting, which concludes in Mauritius in April.

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