NAIROBI (Dispatches) – Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi held talks with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto on Wednesday as he kicked off the first Africa tour by an Iranian president in 11 years.
Raisi received a red carpet welcome from president Ruto as he began a three-country tour of Africa that Tehran has touted as a “new beginning” in relations with the continent.
The visit comes as the Islamic Republic shoring up diplomatic support in the face of Western sanctions, with Raisi also due to travel to Uganda and Zimbabwe this week.
At a press briefing after meeting Ruto, Raisi said he wanted to boost commercial ties with African countries. Africa is a “continent of opportunities” and a great platform for Iranian products, he said. “None of us is satisfied with the current volume of trade.”
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that it expects trade with African countries to increase to more than $2 billion this year from about $1.2 billion in recent years.
Raisi highlighted the existing capacities to boost ties with Kenya, insisting that both countries are aiming to materialize a 10-fold surge in their economic cooperation.
President Raisi specifically mentioned Africa’s mineral resources and Iran’s petrochemical experience.
The two presidents oversaw the signing of five memoranda of understanding, addressing information, communication and technology; fisheries; animal health and livestock production and investment promotion.
President Ruto called Iran a “critical strategic partner” and “global innovation powerhouse.”
Ruto said he had sought Raisi’s
commitment to facilitate the export of more Kenyan tea, meat and other agricultural products to Iran and via Iran to Central Asian countries.
Iran also intends to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian vehicles in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa, he added.
In a tweet, Ruto said he “held bilateral talks with President Ebrahim Raisi where Iran agreed to boost Kenya’s pursuits in manufacturing, health and the blue economy through research and technology”.
Raisi’s Africa visit is meant to “promote economic diplomacy, strengthen political relations with friendly and aligned countries, and diversify the export destinations,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement upon his arrival.
President Raisi and his accompanying delegation visited Iran’s House of Innovation and Technology in Nairobi.
During the visit, the Pelikan multipurpose agricultural drone and Dorna mapping drone, both manufactured by Iranian knowledge-based companies, were introduced to Kenya.
More than 35 Iranian knowledge-based companies in this center have introduced and exported their products to Kenya in the fields of medicine, medical equipment, agriculture, construction and architecture.
In addition to meeting Ruto, Raisi will hold talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
President Museveni has previously voiced support for Iran’s nuclear program. During a 2010 visit by former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Museveni asserted that all sovereign countries had a right to pursue peaceful nuclear programs even as he urged the eradication of all nuclear arsenals.
Uganda is trying to set up a nuclear power plant that authorities this year said would be generating electricity by 2031. The plant, which is being developed with the technical support of the China National Nuclear Corporation, would exploit the East African country’s substantial deposits of uranium.
Zimbabwe, like Iran, is under U.S. sanctions. A ministerial delegation from Zimbabwe visited Tehran early this year and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas including petroleum trade.
According to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Raisi is heading a delegation that includes the foreign minister as well as senior businesspeople.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani has described the three-day trip as “a new turning point” which could bolster economic and trade ties with African nations.
He also said on Monday that Tehran and the three African countries share “common political views”.
On Saturday, Raisi welcomed Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf in a bid to boost ties with Algiers.
Last week, Iran became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes Russia, China and India.
In March, Tehran agreed to restore ties with Saudi Arabia under a China-mediated deal. It has since been looking to re-establish relations with other countries in the region including Egypt and Morocco.
In June, Raisi undertook a Latin American tour that included Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba before a trip to Indonesia.