In a key development, India and Kenya held the second round of Foreign Office Consultations (FoC) and reviewed the bilateral relations in areas including politics and finance, a press statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The Consultations were led on the Indian side by Puneet R Kundal, JS (E&SA) and on the Kenyan side by Paul Ndung'u, Director (Asia, Australasia and Pacific Directorate), the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry said in its statement. The discussions held as part of the bilateral dialogue included the areas of politics, finance, culture, defence, people to people, trade & investment and other issues of common interest, noted the statement.
As per the statement, both sides agreed on bolstered cooperation in emerging sectors such as health, tourism, space, blue economy, new and renewable energy, agro-processing, traditional medicine and vaccine production among others. Both the countries, after welcoming the discussions at the joint trade level in October 2021 also hoped it will lead to a boost to the growing trade and investment relations between India and Kenya.
Among other points of discussion, regional and global issues were also covered. Both the nations committed to collaborating in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). On the international front, India and Kenya deliberated on various aspects pertaining to East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
While emphasizing the requirement for constant exchanges at the political level in order to achieve growth in bilateral relations in all areas, both the nations also agreed to speed up the closure of various MoUs and also explore novel areas of cooperation. Kenya congratulated India on celebrating 75 years of Independence, while India also expressed support for Kenya's 60th year of Independence in 2023.