India-Kenya dialogue on UN, multilateral Issues held in Nairobi

India-Kenya consultations on UN and multilateral issues at Director General (DG) level were held in Nairobi on June 6, 2022.

Prakash Gupta, Joint Secretary (UN-Political) led the Indian delegation which included officials from the High Commission of India in Nairobi and the Ministry of External Affairs. The Kenyan delegation was led by Ambassador Salim M. Salim, Director-General of Multilateral and International Affairs, and included other officials from the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Both sides reviewed their ongoing cooperation during their current tenure as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and reaffirmed their commitment to work closely together in the UNSC and other multilateral fora.

They discussed issues on the agenda of the UNSC, including regional country files in the Horn of Africa region and other thematic issues related to counter-terrorism and UN Peacekeeping. In keeping with the multi-faceted partnership, both sides agreed to deepen their engagement at other multilateral fora, including at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Commonwealth, and Group of 77 (G77) groupings.

Notably, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar paid an official visit to Nairobi from June 12-15, 2021, and co-chaired the 3rd India-Kenya Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Amb. Raychelle Omamo, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Kenya.

During the visit, EAM inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi Library at the University of Nairobi which has been renovated with the Government of India's grant assistance of USD 1 Million. EAM also had virtual interactions with prominent members of the business community and diaspora.

The joint statement issued after the JCM called for joint efforts to combat the COVID pandemic and to consolidate economic collaboration during post-COVID period; for enhanced bilateral ties, both at the government and private sector level, also including cooperation at UN Security Council.

( With inputs from ANI )