Kenya and Algeria have signed two pacts of cooperation and political consultation.
In a ceremony presided over by the two country’s foreign Ministers, Kenya’s Amina Mohamed and Algeria’s Ramtane Lamamra, the two countries agreed to set up a joint commission for cooperation and memorandum of understanding on political consultations.
Speaking to the media after the signings, Amina hailed the bilateral relations between Algeria and Kenya, saying this should be consolidated and strengthen for the benefit of the two people.
“We have cooperated well in the past in Africa Union and in the United Nations. We need to now move to the next level and bring our people even closer through trade, tourism and cultural exchanges,” she said.
She added that the opportunities for trade were many especially in tea and coffee which has not been exploited at all. Currently Algeria gets it coffee from Columbia and tea from the East.
Amina said the two pacts represent a solid tool to lift bilateral relations at the highest level and constitute a first step in their strengthening and consolidation.
Lamamra said his country looked forward to working closely with Kenya since the two countries share similar historical experiences.
“Algeria and Kenya fought bloody wars for independence. We have recently experienced similar challenges with terrorism and general insecurity,” said Lamamra.
He said his country looked forward to learning a lot from Kenya on developing good tourism products which Algeria is considering for the very first time.
Amina, who was a two-day official visit, said Kenya soon open an embassy in Algiers with officers including an ambassador already appointed.
She revealed that President Uhuru Kenya will be visiting Algeria early next year at the invitation of his counterpart President Abdulaziz Bouteflika.
In a meeting with the Algerian Minister of Energy Addelhamid Senouci Bereksi it was agreed that Algeria will train Kenyans on oil and gas production while Kenya will open its doors to Algerians to train on Geothermal and renewable power.
In yet another meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Abdelmalek Sellal, the leaders pledged to continue working together to stem terrorism through sharing of vital information. They also agreed to continue to address the challenges in Somalia politically especially in the run up to elections there in 2016.
About Author
