Why Iranian President’s visit to Kenya has been rescheduled
By Joel Sang, July 11, 2023The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified why the visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has been rescheduled.
The Iranian head of government is set for an African tour that will also see him visit Uganda and Zimbabwe. Initially, Raisi’s schedule was to see him start his tour of Africa on Tuesday, but it has been delayed by a day.
He is set to be accompanied by senior officials of his government, including the foreign minister, according to the country’s official news agency, IRNA.
Bilateral relations
“The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, was scheduled to arrive in the country for a visit today [Tuesday]. The visit was to provide the two countries with an opportunity to review and re-energize their bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.
“The schedule of the President has now been reviewed to allow for finalization of key MoUs that are central to the furtherance of relations. The Iranian President will now arrive tomorrow for a State Visit.
“The President will be at State House at 7.00am tomorrow [Wednesday] for a bilateral meeting. He will, thereafter, proceed to lay a wreath at the Mausoleum of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta before proceeding to tour other African countries,” the statement by the ministry said.
The Africa tour comes after Raisi had set out for Latin America and visited Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.
Raisi’s visit to Africa is the first in 11 years by an Iranian president. On July 8, the Iranian leader met with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf as the two nations hope to boost their bilateral relations.
Raisi’s mission is seen as a move by the Islamic Republic to improve relations with the world community after suffering from economic sanctions. Iran has suffered from diplomatic isolation, especially since 2018 when the USA withdrew from a nuclear energy agreement it had initially entered into.
Recently, Iran was admitted as the latest member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes Russia, China, and India.
Iran mended ties with its regional rival Saudi Arabia through a mediation process that was spearheaded by China. Apart from Saudi Arabia, the country is understood to be keen to re-establish ties with two North African countries: Egypt and Morocco.
West Africa-Iran ties
Representatives from West Africa met with Raisi in March, where the Iranian leader pitched why African nations should strengthen ties with his country.
“The expansion of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relations with Africa is not with an eye towards the wealth of this region but with the goal of progress and welfare for all nations,” Raisi said.