President Kenyatta spoke Monday during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault who paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi/PSCU
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged France to support Kenya’s efforts to secure regional peace and stability.
The President said Kenya looked forward to closer collaboration from its development partners in promoting security, particularly in South Sudan, Somalia and Burundi.
President Kenyatta spoke Monday during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault who paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi.
Briefing the French Foreign Minister on the security situation in the region, the Head of State said a special IGAD meeting will be held in Addis Ababa this weekend to come up with a common regional position on South Sudan.
“We need a strong regional position that will be supported by the international community to guarantee peace in South Sudan,” President Kenyatta said.
On Somalia, President Kenyatta expressed concern over the European Union’s withdrawal of its support to AMISOM.
“There is need to do more to stabilise Somalia. This is not the time for our partners to withdraw support,” President Kenyatta said.
Ayrault said France supports Kenya and its neighbours in the efforts to ensure regional peace.
He commended Kenya’s role in the restoration of stability and reconstruction of Somalia and South Sudan.
“We value Kenya as a strategic, economic, diplomatic and development partner in the region,” Ayrault said.
President Kenyatta and the French Minister later witnessed the signing of a Sh3.63 billion deal for power grids in Northern Kenya counties.
Ayrault commended Kenya’s initiatives to promote environmentally friendly renewable energy.
On trade, the French Foreign Minister also assured President Kenyatta that France is committed to ensuring that the partnership between the EU and Africa works well for the benefit of the parties involved.
The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretaries Amina Mohamed (Foreign Affairs), Henry Rotich (National Treasury), Charles Keter (Energy) and other senior government officials.
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