(Seychelles News Agency) - The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Seychelles will strengthen cooperation in the Blue Economy and environmental sectors, the Secretary General said on Wednesday.

Dato Lim Jock Hoi made the statement to the press after his meeting with Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House.

"I had a good meeting with the president on how ASEAN and Seychelles will be able to work together and increase our cooperation especially in the area of the Blue Economy," he said.

During the meeting there was an exchange of gifts and Ramkalwan gave the Secretary General a coco de mer, the world's biggest nut which is endemic to Seychelles. 

The ASEAN secretary general added that "hopefully this will be further improved as we go along, we will work to enhance our cooperation in this very important area including the environment."

The ASEAN delegation is on a tour of the African region and Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, was the first stage of the tour.   

ASEAN was founded in August 1967 after five South East Asian countries signed the Bangkok Declaration. It is a regional organisation that brings together 10 Southeast Asian countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean has relationships with different ASEAN member states and currently has an agreement to avoid double taxation with Indonesia since September 1999, as well as diplomatic relationships with Vietnam.

To further develop its relationships in the region, Seychelles also has a special envoy to ASEAN, Nico Barito, who has been holding the post since 2012.