India and Kenya on Friday held the 2nd round of Foreign Office Consultations (FoC) and reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political and economic.
The Consultations were led on the Indian side by Puneet R Kundal, JS (E&SA) and on the Kenyan side by Paul Ndung'u, Director (Asia, Australasia and Pacific Directorate), the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry (MEA) said in a statement.
"The meeting reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political, economic, cultural, defence, people to people, trade & investment and other issues of common interest," read the statement.
According to the statement, both sides reiterated the need for increased cooperation in emerging sectors such as health, tourism, space, blue economy, new and renewable energy, agro-processing, traditional medicine and vaccine production among others.
Both sides also welcomed the discussions at the official level in the Joint Trade Commission in October 2021 and expressed their hope that the meeting at the ministerial level will be held soon to give a further boost to expanding trade and investment relations between the two countries.
"Regional and global issues including increasing bilateral cooperation in the UNSC were also discussed. Regional issues pertaining to the East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) also featured in the discussions," the statement said.
The two sides emphasized the need for continuing high-level political exchanges between the two countries in order to further boost bilateral cooperation in all spheres.
Both sides also agreed to expedite the MOUs pending with each side and explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries.
The Kenyan side congratulated India on its celebration of 75 years of independence and the activities being held under the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Indian side also expressed their support for Kenya's 60th year of independence celebrations to be held in 2023, according to the statement.
The Consultations were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Consultations at a mutually convenient date in Nairobi, the statement added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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