Tokayev called Kenya one of Kazakhstan's largest and most reliable partners in Africa

Tengrinews.kz - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Kenyan President William Ruto held a briefing for media representatives, citing Akorda’s press service.

The President of Kazakhstan expressed confidence that the Kenyan leader’s first historic visit to Kazakhstan would take cooperation between the two states to a new level.

“Kenya is one of Kazakhstan’s largest and most reliable trade partners on the African continent. We intend to continue strengthening cooperation between our countries. In recent years, the Republic of Kenya has embarked on a broad path of development. This country, considered the pearl of East Africa, has achieved significant success in finance, agriculture, transport and logistics, and other areas. Nairobi is recognized as an important center of international diplomacy, where several United Nations structures operate effectively,” he said.

The Head of State also noted that Kenya’s authority on the global stage is steadily growing. According to him, this is the result of the balanced policy and foresight of Kenyan President Ruto.

“Last year, we opened our embassy in Nairobi. This decision demonstrates Kazakhstan’s sincere friendly attitude toward your country. This is Kazakhstan’s sixth diplomatic mission on the African continent. Our country attaches priority importance to strengthening ties with African states,” the President of Kazakhstan said.

According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the parties held substantive talks on a number of important issues.

“Special attention was paid to expanding trade and economic cooperation. We agreed to implement joint projects in transport, agriculture, industry, as well as in information technology and tourism. We also exchanged views on the possibility of launching regular direct flights between our countries,” he said.

It is specified that Kazakhstan is interested in supplying agricultural products, primarily grain, and other goods to the African market.

“To this end, we considered the possibility of using the port of Mombasa. It is one of the largest logistics centers in East Africa, opening access to eight countries in the region. Today, a number of Kenyan goods, including tea and coffee products, are already present on the Kazakh market, which can be seen as evidence of stable trade relations established between the two countries.

In addition, we discussed the delivery of Kenyan products through Kazakhstan to Eurasian countries. We stated the need to bring trade and economic cooperation to a qualitatively new level and proposed the creation of a Kazakhstan–Kenya Business Council. This council will make it possible to promote specific projects and increase mutual trade,” the Head of State said.

The President of Kazakhstan also said that Kenya is interested in Kazakhstan’s achievements in the e-government system, space sector and information technologies.

“During the visit, President Ruto will familiarize himself with the work of the Alem.ai International Center for Artificial Intelligence and Kazakhstan’s National Space Center. During the talks, special attention was also paid to cooperation in culture, tourism, education and science. Kenya attaches great importance to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. I would like to especially note that this position corresponds to our ‘Taza Kazakhstan’ ideology,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.

In addition, the Kazakhstan–Kenya Business Forum is being held in Astana today, with the participation of business representatives from both countries.

“Undoubtedly, this event will give new impetus to further deepening ties between our states. We agreed to instruct our governments to take concrete measures to expand the multifaceted partnership,” he added.

It is reported that during the talks, the presidents exchanged views on the international agenda.

“The situation in Africa and the Middle East was discussed. Nairobi actively supports peace initiatives aimed at resolving regional conflicts. Kenya also consistently contributes to strengthening peace and stability on the African continent. Kazakhstan highly values these efforts,” the Head of State emphasized.

According to him, Kazakhstan and Kenya hold similar positions on many global issues. Both countries believe that international problems should be resolved only through peaceful and diplomatic means, that is, through negotiations.

“An agreement was also reached to strengthen cooperation within the United Nations and other international structures. Overall, it can be confidently stated that the talks were fruitful and substantive. Kazakhstan expresses its readiness to strengthen bilateral ties, expand mutually beneficial partnership and jointly implement projects in various fields. This meets the interests of both countries,” Tokayev added.

For his part, William Ruto noted that constructive and fruitful talks had been held today, aimed at deepening cooperation across a wide range of sectors.

“We reviewed the current agenda and agreed to implement practical measures to unlock new opportunities in trade, investment, innovation and regional connectivity. Kenya views Kazakhstan as an important strategic partner and a key gateway to Central Asia and the Eurasian region as a whole. In turn, our country is ready to become a link for Kazakhstan in East and Central Africa. We proposed that the Kazakh side use Nairobi as a strategic base for operations on the continent, and the ports of Mombasa and Lamu as key logistics hubs for access to regional markets,” the President of Kenya said.

Earlier, it was reported that the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Kenya held expanded-format talks in Astana. During the talks, with the participation of members of the official delegations, the parties discussed prospects for political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.