Kenya, Belarus vow to boost ties as Minsk seeks African allies

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The presidents of Kenya and Belarus agreed to "broaden ties" during talks in Nairobi on Monday, the Kenyan presidency said as diplomatically isolated Minsk seeks to secure more African allies.

The visit comes a day after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Moscow, was in Equatorial Guinea as part of an African tour to bolster ties on the continent.

Lukashenko was received at State House, Nairobi by President William Ruto said on X, formerly Twitter.

The two leaders "agreed to broaden our ties to renewable energy, trade, investment and education," Ruto said.

Read: Why Ruto is playing West, Russia ping-pong

"Immense opportunities exist between Kenya and Belarus that must be exploited for the prosperity of the two countries," Ruto said, adding that Kenya was keen on tapping Belarus' technology in agriculture.

Western countries have sanctioned Belarus and isolated Lukashenko for his firm backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and a crackdown on domestic dissent.

The Eastern European country relies heavily on Russia for political and financial support and was used as a launch pad for Moscow's assault against Ukraine in February 2022.

Kenya and Belarus did not mention Russia's offensive in their statements on the visit.

With the conflict still raging in Ukraine, Moscow and Kyiv have sought to bolster support in Africa for their cause.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a surprise visit to Kenya in May on the heels of an African tour by his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

On Saturday, the Belarusian presidency said Lukashenko's visit was aimed at "intensifying interaction in all areas of mutual benefit" and continuing to establish "close ties" between Minsk and African countries.

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Dubbed the last dictator of Europe, Lukashenko visited Zimbabwe early this year on his first-ever trip to a sub-Saharan African nation.

He signed cooperation agreements with his Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, including launching the first phase of a regional centre to promote Belarusian products in central and west African markets.