Ambassador of Belgium to Mauritius pays courtesy call on President Roopun

Mauritius: The newly appointed Ambassador of Belgium to Mauritius, with residence in Tanzania, Mr Peter Huyghebaert, presented his diplomatic credentials to the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, today, at the State House in Réduit.

In a statement, Ambassador Huyghebaert indicated that both sides had reaffirmed their commitment further to enhance the existing relations between the two countries. “We have a Belgian community of around 1,000 persons in Mauritius and a Belgian Mauritius Business Club that facilitates networking between both parties and reinforce people-to-people connections”, he stated.

Key areas of cooperation in the fields of medicine, trade and investment, biotech, education and waste management were also on the agenda of discussions. In addition, Mr Huyghebaert evoked the possibility of promoting more economic cooperation and activity between Mauritius and Belgium.

Earlier this morning, Ambassador Huyghebaert presented his Copie d’Usage to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Joyker Nayeck, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seat, Regional Integration and International Trade, in Port-Louis.

Moreover, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Regional Director for Eastern Africa in Nairobi and UNESCO Representative to Mauritius, Professor Hubert Gijzen, paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, this morning, at the New Government Centre in Port-Louis.

The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Lisa Simrique Singh, was also present during the meeting.

Professor Hubert Gijzen joined the UN in 2006 as the Director of the UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific based in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2015, he was appointed Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe.

As of July 2021, he serves as UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa in Nairobi and as UNESCO Representative to Kenya, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia and Uganda. He is the UNESCO Representative to IGAD and EAC, serves on the UN Regional Directors Team and is a member of the UN Regional Coordination Platform for Africa.