Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Kenyan counterpart Alfred Mutua discussed on Tuesday the expansion of bilateral relations ahead of a visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to the East African country.
In a phone conversation, the two ministers exchanged views on Raisi’s visit scheduled for Wednesday and the documents to be signed during the trip, according to a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website.
Amir-Abdollahian said Iran seeks to expand its relations with African countries, including Kenya, in a “balanced and comprehensive” way, adding that Iran and Kenya have numerous chances for cooperation.
The Kenyan foreign minister, for his part, expressed his country’s readiness to boost ties with Iran in various areas and sign the documents in this regard during the Iranian president’s visit.
Kenya is the first leg of Raisi’s African tour, which will also take him to Uganda and Zimbabwe. This will be the first trip to Africa made by an Iranian president in the past 11 years, according to a report by the Iranian official news agency IRNA.
The tour is aimed at improving political and trade cooperation with the three African states and diversifying Iran’s export destinations, the IRNA said.