(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles and Lebanon have enhanced their bilateral cooperation and existing friendly relations with the signing of an agreement for visa waiver last week.

According to the Foreign Affairs Department, "Under the Agreement, all passport holders from the two countries will enjoy exemption from visa requirements. This measure seeks to facilitate the movement of citizens between Seychelles and Lebanon."

The signing ceremony took place in New York between the Permanent Representative of Seychelles to the United Nations, Ambassador Ian Madeleine, and the Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations, Hadi Hachem.

Meanwhile, no visa is required to enter Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean but before departure, all visitors must apply for a travel authorisation through the Seychelles Electronic Border System platform.

Seychelles' passport remains the most powerful on the African continent for a consecutive year while moving three steps up in a global ranking published by Henley and Partners for the first quarter of 2024.

The Henley Passport Index ranks Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, as 26th worldwide for the first quarter of 2024 compared to 29^th in 2023 for the ability of the country's passport holders to visit 153 countries visa-free.