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Seychelles allows the carrying of large caliber weapons on Spanish tuna boats

(BRUSSELS2) The government of the Seychelles has accepted in principle the Spanish request to be able to equip the Spanish tuna boats based in Port-Victoria with large caliber weapons (12,7 mm type heavy machine gun). It was a long-standing Spanish request. The Spanish tuna boats are, in fact, protected by private guards, who have been supervised by the Spanish army. They can only transit through the Seychelles and hold in the territorial waters of the archipelago light weapons or handguns. This request was finally accepted during a meeting held between the two countries on Friday (9 September). It remains to set the precise terms, particularly in terms of conditions and securing the transfer. The two delegations agreed to exchange, “in the coming months”, indicated the Spanish Minister of Defense in a press release, proposals for drafting a protocol setting out these conditions.

This agreement is part of a larger whole. Spain had, in fact, undertaken in September 2010, in a declaration signed during the visit of the President of the Seychelles to Madrid, then during the visit of the Minister of Defense Carme Chacon to Port-Victoria, to help the authorities of the Seychelles on safety training, the training of maritime search and rescue services, by setting up Gomez Ulla Hospital a permanent telemedicine unit, allowing remote medical care.

Read also: The Spaniards will train the Seychelles coast guard

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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