Belarus, Kenya to set up intergovernmental commission

March 12, Pozirk. As Minsk continues its frantic effort to boost ties with African and Asian countries to mitigate Western sanctions, the Belarusian government has approved a draft memorandum to set up a joint intergovernmental commission with Kenya.

Its Directive No 150 published on the National Legal Internet Portal authorizes the foreign ministry to hold talks and sign it.

In April 2023, Belarusian Foreign Minister Siarhiej Alejnik visited Kenya to sign a memorandum establishing a regular political consultation mechanism.

A few weeks before, Kenya backed a UN General Assembly resolution that called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. Belarus voted against it.

Meanwhile, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Jaŭhien Šastakoŭ has visited Bangladesh this week as Minsk looks for an opportunity to tap into this potentially big market with a population of 169.4 million.

Alaksandar Łukašenka visited Uzbekistan in February, Equatorial Guinea and Kenya in December and Zimbabwe in January 2023. The Belarusian ruler said he coordinated his African trips with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Belarus and Kenya established diplomatic relations in 1993. In 2021, bilateral trade amounted to $10.5 million. More recent data on two-way trade is not available in the public domain.