The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, received yesterday at the headquarters of the Ministry in Madrid his Kenyan counterpart, Alfred Mutua, with whom he discussed, among other issues, the possible support of Spain to Kenya to lead the mediation process in the conflict in Sudan.
“Productive meeting with the Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Alfred Mutua,” Albares stated through his Twitter account. “We signed cooperation agreement for language training,” he continued. “We also addressed the possibilities of mediation in Sudan to end the conflict,” he added. “We strengthened bilateral ties with Kenya, a priority partner in Africa,” he concluded.
Kenya is listed as a “priority country” in Spain’s foreign policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa, as reflected in the III Africa Plan (2019), the Horizon Africa Strategy (2020) and the Africa Focus 2023. Last October, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, was received in Nairobi by the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto, as part of an official tour of Africa.
For its part, Mutua expressed, on behalf of William Samoei Ruto, its gratitude to the Spanish government for its “support and dedication to Kenya”. “The Minister informed me that in their policy, Kenya is at the forefront of their relations and investment in the African continent,” he added.
Likewise, the Kenyan minister reported, through the same social network, that the two had discussed “the ongoing war in Sudan” and “the need for a sustained cease fire in Sudan” and, in this regard, Mutua requested Albares’ support for “a Nairobi based mediation process for Sudan.”
“Top of the agenda was signing of a memorandum of understanding that will see Kenyans trained Spanish language even as we train them in English. This will enhance Spanish as a major language of study in Kenya and open up opportunities for Kenyan youth abroad.” he added.
“We also discussed the various partnerships and commitment by Spain towards Kenya which includes funds for improving our railway system and roads and we also reviewed our trade partnership where 1,000 companies sell their products to Kenya every year. We also discussed how Kenyans can sell their products in Spain,” he continued. The two ministers also discussed scholarships for Kenyan students and agreed on “an immediate exchange of diplomats to study in Spain and in Kenya”.
