Russia has offered to train Kenya police officers to fight terrorism, to boost their capacity to deal with the vice.
Speaking when he met President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi today, Russian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Gennady Gatilov said Russia will initially provide 25 scholarships for the police officers but would increase the number depending on the demand.
“Russia has also suffered terror attacks and this gave us the impetus to scale up our expertise and technological capacity to dealing with the evil,” Mr Gatilov said.
The Foreign Deputy Minister said Russia has not changed its stand on the International Criminal Court and firmly believed in local solutions to country-specific problems. He praised President Kenyatta’s role in promoting regional peace, notably in Somalia and South Sudan.
President Kenyatta welcomed Russia’s support, saying it would help in combating terrorism in Kenya.
As a global problem, President Kenyatta said terrorists were increasingly becoming sophisticated and countries have to cooperate and pool resources to curbing it.
The President noted that as long as Somalia is unstable, the East Africa and Horn of Africa regions will remain unsafe.
“Your support in our fight against terrorism is not only a show of true mutual partnership but also a sign of confidence in our country,” President Kenyatta said.
TRADE AND INVESTMENT
On trade and investment, the Deputy Foreign Minister emphasised the need for Kenya and Russia to work together in increasing trade between the two countries. He said the Kenyan envoy in Moscow should organise roundtable meetings in Moscow to highlight the investment opportunities in Kenya that Russian investors could venture in.
President Kenyatta said Kenya will fast-track conclusion of key trade agreements – including the Protection of Businesses and Avoidance of Double Taxation – to facilitate trade with Russia.
The President acknowledged Russia as Kenya’s true partner in development, saying he looked forward to the signing of the agreements soon.
Source-nation.co.ke
