Courtesy Call by the Ambassador of the United States of America on Minister Charles E. Fonseka

The Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Charles E. Fonseka warmly welcomed the Ambassador of the United States of America to Seychelles & Mauritius Mr. Henry Jardine and the delegation of the United States congress staff to the Ministry. During the meeting the Minister expressed gratitude for the sustained support that the American Government has provided in the domain of maritime security, highlighting the CUTLASS EXPRESS 2024 which is currently underway.

Minister Fonseka reaffirmed Seychelles’ appreciation of this exercise which consistently builds upon existing efforts to combat illicit maritime activities by enhancing national and regional security in the Western Indian Ocean, elevating Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), increasing information exchange between Maritime Operation Centres (MOCS), improving the relationship between the U.S , African nations and international partners as well as enhancing combined maritime law enforcement capacity in the region.

The Minister spoke on the creation of reliable, timely information sharing at regular intervals which has the potential to strengthen trust and confidence among key actors. The sharing of experience and lessons learned on how to handle maritime security challenges nationally is essential. The region requires knowledge producers to build upon the existing centres, especially with the increase in illicit maritime activities in the region.

The meeting was also attended by the Mr. Calvin Foster, Rear Admiral, U.S. 6th Fleet ,Principal Secretary of the Immigration & Civil Status Department Mr. Alain Volcere, Commissioner of Prisons Mr. Raymond St. Ange, Director the National Information Sharing & Coordinating Centre(NISCC), Captain Gerald Wong Pool, Director the Regional Co-Ordination Centre (RCOC) Captain Sam Gonthier, Deputy Commissioner of the Seychelles Police Force, Mr. Francis Songoire, Executive Director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Secretariat Mrs. Mastura Shah-Faure.