President Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed optimism that Kenyan exports to the Slovakia market will increase following President Andrej Kiska’s State Visit to Kenya. President Kenyatta said President Kiska visit to the country will boost export of the commodities to the Slovak Republic. “We view this as an important step in bridging the trade gap between our two countries,” President Kenyatta said.
President Kenyatta held bilateral talks with Slovak President Kiska. In attendance were by Cabinet Secretaries including Amina Mohamed CS for Foreign Affairs, Fred Matiang’i CS for Education) and Najib Balala CS for Tourism. Addressing the press, H.E. Kenyatta said “I conveyed to him the appreciation and gratitude of Kenya’s people for Slovakia’s support of our development agenda” as well as the possibility of providing scholarships to Kenyans – especially the underprivileged.
As part of the efforts to make Kenya a preferred investment destination, President Kenyatta said his Government has undertaken a wide range of business regulatory reforms aimed at reducing the cost of doing business. “With these advantages, I think it is clear that Kenya is a natural destination for Slovakia’s investment and trade, and I expect that there will be a follow-up meeting with government and the private sectors of both countries to establish new relationships as well as strengthen existing ones,” President Kenyatta said.
The Slovak President said Kenya’s position as a gateway to the African market could not be overlooked, saying relations between Kenya and Slovakia are based on mutually beneficial partnership and shared experiences.
President Kenyatta reiterated that the visit by President Kiska – the first by a Slovakian Head of State to Kenya – represents a milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries. He noted that ties between Kenya and Slovakia go back a long way, saying Kenya was among the first countries to recognize the Republic of Slovakia as a sovereign state following the peaceful dissolution of the former Czechoslovakia.
