44TH INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION GRACED BY PRESENCE OF SEYCHELLES PRESIDENT
President James Michel of the Seychelles was Guest of Honour earlier in the week as Mauritius celebrated their 44th anniversary of Independence. The entire island thrilled its tourist visitors with displays of cultural performances and the evening fireworks were according to a regular source a sight to behold.
The parade on the occasion of the celebrations was made livelier by a fly past of helicopters from the Police Helicopter Squadron and of aircraft from the National Coast Guard, before a precision jump by parachutists from the Mauritius defence forces parachute regiment.
The presence of President Michel was also used to enhance bilateral relations with the signing of two major agreements, one for the joint administration and exploration of the nearly 400.000 square kilometres continental shelf of the Mascarene Islands, last year handed to the two countries by a UN panel and a second treaty over joint measures to protect the biodiversity of the ocean while regulating exploitation and use of marine resources.
Notably have during the recently concluded ITB in Berlin the two countries tourism ministers Alain St. Ange from the Seychelles and his Mauritius counterpart Michael Yuen met too to discuss matter of mutual interest and concern. The two will again meet later in March when RETOSA, SADCs tourism body, will bring the ministers of member states together in Port Louis for their regular meeting. Watch this space, but for now it is congratulations to the government and people of Mauritius on the occasion of their 44th Independence Day.
