AJN Agency.- The president of Iran has begun an unusual visit to Africa at a time when his country, subjected to harsh economic sanctions by the United States, is trying to deepen its relations with the rest of the world.
President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Kenya on Wednesday marks the first by an Iranian leader to the African continent in more than a decade. He is also scheduled to visit Uganda and Zimbabwe and meet their presidents.
Africa is a “continent of opportunities” and a great platform for Iranian products, Raisi told reporters at a briefing. He didn’t take questions. “None of us are satisfied with the current volume of trade,” he stated.
The Iranian leader specifically mentioned Africa’s mineral resources and Iran’s petrochemical expertise, but the five memorandums of understanding signed Wednesday by the Islamic Republic and Kenya did not appear to refer to any of them. Instead they addressed information, communication and technology; Fishing; animal health and livestock production and investment promotion.
Kenyan President William Ruto called Iran a “key strategic partner” and a “global powerhouse in innovation.” He expressed interest in expanding Kenyan agricultural exports to Iran and Central Asia beyond tea.
Iran also intends to set up an Iranian vehicle manufacturing plant in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, Ruto said.
Raisi’s visit to Africa is aimed at “promoting economic diplomacy, strengthening political relations with friendly and aligned countries, and diversifying export destinations,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement upon arrival.
Last month, the Iranian leader made his first visit to Latin America, stopping in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic ties in a major diplomatic breakthrough.
Iran is in a growing confrontation with Western nations over its nuclear program, which has made great strides in the five years since then-US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from an international agreement restricting it. Trump also reinstated sanctions on Iran that have contributed to a severe economic crisis.
The United States last month accused Iran of supplying Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant as Moscow searches for weapons for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Iran has claimed that it supplied drones to Russia before the start of the war, but not since.
Kenya is the economic center of East Africa and an ally of the United States. President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, visited the country earlier this year. Last year, the US and Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding on “strategic civil nuclear cooperation.” Kenya has expressed interest in using nuclear power for power production.
Under Ruto, Kenya is battling debt and rising costs of living, with more protests expected Wednesday in the capital Nairobi and elsewhere.
Few details have been released about the Iranian leader’s visit to Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a US security ally, has previously expressed support for Iran’s controversial nuclear program. During a 2010 visit by former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Museveni asserted that all sovereign countries have the right to develop peaceful nuclear programs, while he urged the eradication of all nuclear arsenals.
Uganda is trying to commission a nuclear power plant that authorities say this year would be generating electricity by 2031. The plant, which is being developed with technical support from the China National Nuclear Corporation, would tap the country’s significant uranium deposits. East africa.
Zimbabwe, like Iran, is subject to US sanctions. A Zimbabwean ministerial delegation visited Tehran earlier this year and agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as oil trade.
2023-07-29 01:57:50
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