(Seychelles News Agency) - Capacity building, joint ventures and visa waivers were issues discussed between newly accredited Thai ambassador to Seychelles and President Danny Faure on Tuesday.

These topics were raised during the tete-a-tete that followed the accreditation ceremony of the ambassador of Thailand, Cherdkiat Atthakor. The ceremony took place at State House, Victoria.

Atthakor told media afterward that his country is ready to provide Seychelles with technical cooperation.

“We are trying to extend more and more cooperation in the field of capacity building and training and we have invited Seychellois officials to Thailand to get their training done there,” said Atthakor.

Various areas of cooperation were discussed between President Faure and the Thai ambassador. (Louis Toussaint) Photo License: CC-BY

Discussions also touched upon the joint venture between Seychelles and Thai Union, namely the Indian Ocean Tuna Limited (IOT). The ambassador said that having Thai Union invest in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, shows the level of cooperation between the two countries.

Apart from talking about the general cooperation between Seychelles and Thailand, the two diplomats talked about a visa waiver that the ambassador is expected to sign after his visit to the president.

“We plan to sign an agreement on the exemption for the diplomatic and official visa. This means that from now on, officials of Seychelles holding a diplomatic passport can travel to Thailand without a visa,” said Atthakor.

The signing took place at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Mont Fleuri.

When asked if the agreement can be extended to other holders of the Seychellois passport, the ambassador said, “we need to explore more on this matter.”

Seychelles and Thailand are observing 20 years of diplomatic relations in 2018. The newly accredited ambassador describes the diplomatic ties between the two countries as excellent, with good cooperation.

Atthakor will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.