Portuguese-Seychellois Relations

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Portuguese-Seychellois Relations
Portuguese-Seychellois Relations (Africa)
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Portugal Seychelles

The Portuguese-Seychelles relations describe the intergovernmental relationship between Portugal and the Seychelles . The countries have had direct diplomatic relations since 1985.

The relationships are considered to be good and friendly, but there is still room for improvement. The most important historical point of reference is the arrival of the Portuguese navigators in 1502, who were the first Europeans to discover the islands on their sea ​​route to India . Today, Portugal and the Seychelles are partners in several multilateral organizations, in addition to the various UN organizations, in particular, business-oriented bodies such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the controversial Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the ACP countries , to which the Seychelles belong. In addition, units of the Portuguese Air Force are stationed in the Seychelles as part of the European Union Naval Force - Somalia .

In 2018, 10 citizens of the Seychelles were registered in Portugal, four of them in the Lisbon district and three on the island of Madeira . In 2017, the Portuguese authorities were not aware of any Portuguese citizens in the Seychelles.

history

Arrival of the Vasco da Gamas fleet in India 1498, painting by Alfredo Roque Gameiro around 1900: Navigators from the Vasco da Gamas fleet discovered and were the first Europeans to set foot on the Seychelles in 1502

Parts of the fleet of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama anchored in 1502 on islands that were previously unknown in Europe. The Portuguese called them " Ilhas do Almirante " (Eng. Islands of the Admiral). The islands got their current name from this, Amiranten . This was the first time Europe had knowledge of today's Seychelles.

The Portuguese were then no longer interested in the islands, which were only visited again by Europeans in 1742 and in French in 1753 and in British possession from 1814. On June 29, 1976, the Seychelles received their full independence. Portugal, which only returned to democracy in 1974 with its Carnation Revolution , oriented itself towards Europe after the end of the Portuguese colonial war in 1975.

In 1985, Portugal and the Seychelles established diplomatic relations. On November 29, 1990, they signed an agreement on cooperation in culture, science and technology.

In 1991 the Seychelles gave up their one-party system and then opened up economically. On August 2, 1995, Portugal and the Seychelles concluded an economic and technical cooperation agreement. which came into effect on August 8, 1996.

Admission of the Seychelles to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2014 in Geneva

After the Seychelles went bankrupt in 2008, the country realigned its economy with the help of the International Monetary Fund and opened up further. In addition, the international community's political attention for the Seychelles has now increased: with the decline of Somalia , piracy in the Indian Ocean increased sharply. With the increasing threat to these important international trade routes along the East African coast, the strategic importance of the Seychelles for the international fight against piracy also increased. Portugal's then Defense Minister Augusto Santos Silva visited the Seychelles in July 2010. When he met the Seychelles President James Alix Michel , they agreed to work more closely and expand their cooperation in the fight against regional piracy and in the context of Operation Atalanta , which also brought the Portuguese military to the Seychelles.

In 2014 the Seychelles were admitted to the World Trade Organization , of which Portugal is automatically a member as an EU member. As a result, bilateral trade between Portugal and the Seychelles also increased.

On the occasion of the accreditation of the Seychelles Ambassador Bernard Shamlaye to the Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva on January 20, 2015, both sides emphasized their solidarity and their mutual interests, such as the economic importance of a clean sea for the two ocean-bound nations or the efforts to expand renewable energies and others Measures to curb global warming . They discussed a stronger cooperation in this spirit between the two countries in the areas of education, culture, tourism and renewable energies, but also in international organizations.

The Seychellois Embassy in Paris. Portugal is part of their administrative district

diplomacy

Portugal does not have its own embassy in the Seychelles; the country belongs to the administrative district of the Portuguese representation in the Mozambican capital Maputo . Portuguese consulates are also not open in the Seychelles; the country is looked after by the Portuguese consulate general in Maputo.

The Seychelles also do not have their own representation in Portugal; the country is looked after by the Seychelles embassy in Paris . There are also no Seychellois consulates in Portugal.

economy

The trade volume between Portugal and Seychelles in 2016 was 3.309 million euros ( 2015 : 4.500 million, 2014 : 1.153 million, 2013 : 1.956 million, 2012 : 1.897 million), with a trade surplus of 3.289 million euros in favor Portugal ( 2015 : 4.242 million, 2014 : 1.147 million, 2013 : 1.946 million, 2012 : 1.815 million). 17 Portuguese companies were trading with the Seychelles in 2016.

In 2016, Portugal exported goods worth 3.299 million euros to the Seychelles ( 2015 : 4.371 million; 2014 : 1.150 million; 2013 : 1.951 million; 2012 : 1.856 million), 48.8% of which were machines and Devices (mainly video cameras and telecommunications devices), 24.7% metal goods (mainly cables) and 20.2% agricultural products (mainly vegetable oils).

In the same period, the Seychelles delivered goods worth 10,000 euros to Portugal ( 2015 : 129,000 .; 2014 : 3,000; 2013 : 5,000; 2012 : 41,000), excluding machines and devices (especially cameras, illuminated displays, etc.).

In terms of Portuguese foreign trade, the Seychelles were 128th as a buyer and 175th as a supplier, while in Seychelles' foreign trade, Portugal was in 28th place as a buyer and 43rd as a supplier.

The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP does not have a branch in the Seychelles; the AICEP office in the Mozambican capital Maputo is responsible .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Overview of diplomatic relations with the Seychelles at the diplomatic institute in the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs , accessed on September 9, 2019
  2. ↑ a b News from July 9, 2010 on the website of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Government of the Seychelles, accessed on September 9, 2019
  3. ↑ Official Portuguese Aliens Statistics by District , Portuguese Aliens and Borders Authority SEF, accessed on September 1, 2019
  4. ^ Website on Portuguese-Seychellois migration at the Portuguese Scientific Observatório da Emigração , accessed on September 9, 2019
  5. ↑ a b c d e Bilateral economic relations between Portugal and the Seychelles , Excel file retrieved from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP, accessed on September 9, 2019
  6. ↑ Message dated January 26, 2015 on the website of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Government of the Seychelles, accessed on September 9, 2019
  7. ↑ Overview of the Portuguese contact points for the Seychelles on the Internet portal of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Portuguese communities abroad, accessed on September 9, 2019