Nairobi — Kenya and Iran on Wednesday committed to strengthening the two nations' ties by cultivating a good working relationship.
The commitment followed a bilateral meeting between President William Ruto and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, who is currently on an official state visit to Kenya.
During the meeting, the two leaders signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) encompassing cooperation in various sectors, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Fisheries, Animal Health and Livestock Production, and Investment Promotion.
"Kenya remains committed to advancing and enhancing further engagement with Iran in our shared commitments to pursue the greater prosperity for our people," President Ruto said during the joint press conference.
President Ruto expressed his satisfaction with the "productive bilateral discussions" held with his Iranian counterpart, Raisi, acknowledging Iran's positive contributions to Kenya's economy.
During the meeting, President Ruto emphasized the importance of Iran's assistance in facilitating increased exports of tea, meat, and other agricultural products from Kenya to Iran and Central Asian countries.
"Stronger collaboration with Iran is important for us in delivering the Agriculture value chain of our Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda," President Ruto said.
President Raisi, on his part, pledged to foster an inclusive partnership without any barriers between Kenya and Iran.
Furthermore, he extended a cordial invitation to President Ruto to visit Iran, aiming to strengthen and enhance the relationship between the two nations.
"My government will see to it that there is no barriers to development and believe that there will be no insurmountable barriers in our relationship," he said.
After concluding his visit to Kenya, President Raisi has a scheduled continuation of his African tour, which includes planned visits to Uganda and Mozambique.
The rare visit to the three African countries marks the latest diplomatic effort by the Islamic Republic to forge new alliances and ease its international isolation.
The three-day trip will be the first by an Iranian president to Africa in 11 years.
