Seychelles Coast Guard has signed a bilateral agreement with the United States navy for the protection of the island nation’s territorial waters.
The agreement on countering illicit transnational maritime activity operations was signed on Tuesday by the Seychelles’ Minister for Internal Affairs, Roy Fonseka, and the acting Deputy Chief of mission from the United States Embassy based in Mauritius, Thomas Kohr.
With this new agreement, Seychelles will provide whatever resources it has, while the U.S. will bring assets including vessels and surveillance aircraft, as well as equipment and personnel towards strengthening policing within the region.
Fonseka says the bilateral agreement will help in coordinating and intensifying efforts to create a safer maritime zone.
In a related developement, a group of Seychelles military personnel joined their counterparts in the Eastern African region for the 21st edition of the Cutlass Express.
Cutlass Express is a U.S. Naval Forces Africa-led, all-domain exercise in East African coastal regions and the West Indian Ocean.
The exercise is linked to U.S. Central Command’s International Maritime Exercise to counter overbearing influence, aggression, and activity along overlapping command seams.
Launched on Monday, the exercise takes place along the littorial fields of Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar and Seychelles. It will end on August 6.