Somali Magazine- Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala arrived in Kenya on Sunday for a three-day visit, looking forward to holding bilateral talks with senior state officials and, later on, being hosted by President William Ruto at State House for further business engagements.
Received by Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi and Defence CS Aden Duale at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the Czech Republic Prime Minister’s visit is a tentative way of strengthening the business relationship between the two countries.
“The visit by Petr Fiala aims to strengthen cooperation, collaboration, and partnership between Kenya and the Czech Republic across various sectors. Several bilateral agreements are expected to be signed between the two nations during his visit,” Mudavadi said.
He added that PM Fiala will also attend the Kenya-Czech Business Conference, visit cultural sites, and hold Defence and security meetings with relevant players and stakeholders.
“As Kenya continues to further and cement its cordial ties with other nations, the Czech Republic has proven a strategic and dependable ally,” he said.
Trade relations between Kenya and the Czech Republic have a long tradition, and Kenya has always been an important trading partner in the East African region. However, the balance of trade between the two (2) countries is in favor of the Czech Republic. Czech products have gained a high reputation among professionals in Kenya.
Kenya exports to the Czech Republic include coffee, cut flowers, fruit, and vegetables. While imports to Kenya from the Czech Republic consist mainly of steel rods, glass beads, aircraft and their spare parts, instruments and carpets, forklifts, pharmaceutical products, surgical equipment, lathes, and agricultural inputs, as well as Skoda vehicles
The cordial Kenya-Czech Republic relationship has unlocked opportunities for students to study in Czechia. The Czech Government offers two (2) scholarships to Kenyan students every year to study at Czech public universities. Czechoslovakia has hosted a large number of students from Kenya pursuing courses mainly in medicine, while others are traveling there looking for employment.
Both countries have identified key areas of development such as commerce, trade, tourism, education, and culture. Approximately 10,000 Czech tourists visit Kenya annually. The first ever chartered flight from Prague to Kenya was inaugurated in 2006.
Currently, Kenya has signed a number of business agreements with different countries, including Iran, Congo, Indonesia, Singapore, Russia, Germany, and Dubai, among others.