President Kenyatta with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven
NEW YORK, Sept 29 – President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday held bilateral talks with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven, and the President of Latvia, Raimonds Vejonis, who both sought increased links between Kenya and their countries.
The Swedish Prime Minister first congratulated Kenya for the role it played in the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goals, adding that the world community has a good opportunity to transform through the SDGs since many people were involved in the formulation of the targets.
Lofven said Sweden also appreciated the role Kenya plays in regional stability and for hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees for many decades.
“We need to show solidarity with you in this issues because you have played such a crucial role,” said Lofven.
Lofven said his government will continue facilitating more Swedish companies to invest in Kenya in addition to the many already operating in the country.
President Kenyatta and Lofven discussed the problem of immigration, which Europe has experienced in recent months.
“Now is the time for the global community to work together to stabilise the home countries that are the source of refugees,” said President Kenyatta.
President Kenyatta said majority of the refugees in the world are a result of forced migration and the international community should join hands to resolve the conflicts raging in many parts of the world.
“There is an opportunity for the world to agree to deal with immigration issues at the source and not at the tail end,” said President Kenyatta.
In the bilateral meeting with Latvia, President Vejonis said his country seeks closer links with Kenya since it is an important player in the economy and security of the Eastern Africa region.
“It is economically important for us to have stronger bilateral relations with Kenya since it is one of the strongest countries in Africa,” said Vejonis.
President Kenyatta said Kenya and Latvia, which is an EU member, have an opportunity to forge closer diplomatic and economic links.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and her Latvian counterpart will work out the details of the two countries new partnerships. Interior Cabinet Secretary Maj Gen (Rtd) Joseph Nkaissery also attended the meeting.
Both meetings were held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
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