MoS MEA To Visit Kenya To Attend Swearing-In Ceremony Of Kenyan President-Elect

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan will visit Kenya on Tuesday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of president-elect William Samoei Ruto as the fifth president of that country.

Thereafter, the minister will pay an official visit to the State of Eritrea on September 14-15, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Monday. This will be his first visit to the country.

In Kenya, Muraleedharan will attend the official swearing-in ceremony of the President-elect, which will take place on September 13, 2022.  He will also attend a business event where he is expected to meet and address the captains of Kenyan industry and business persons doing business with India, the MEA said.

The minister will also attend a community event where he will interact with the members of the Indian community living in Kenya, the statement said. India enjoys friendly and historic relations with Kenya underpinned by high-level exchange of political visits and the visit by Muraleedharan is expected to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries, it said.

In Eritrea, the minister will call on President Isaias Afwerki and hold talks with Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, the statement said. 

Muraleedharan will also interact with the Indian community in Eritrea during the visit, it said. India enjoys warm and cordial relations with Eritrea and since its independence in 1993, India has offered a range of capacity-building assistance in diverse fields to the youth of Eritrea, the MEA said.

A sizeable Indian community is living in Eritrea, mostly professors and teachers and those working for companies. The visit is likely to give a new momentum to India's relations with Eritrea, it said. 

(With PTI inputs)