Japanese Prime Minister in Kenya as part of a four-leg African tour
GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio kishida is in Kenya as part of his four-leg African tour – a first since he became the Asian country’s leader two years ago.
The Prime Minister’s tour kicked of Sunday in Egypt where he helf talks with President Abdel Fatthah al-Sissi and the Secretary-General of the Arab League at the institution’s headquarters in Cairo.
Speaking after the meeting, president al-Sissi said the two leaders discussed the challenges facing the global community such as the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Sudan.
“We reviewed the challenges the international arena is witnessing today, in particular the massive economic repercussions left by the Ukrainian crisis on developing countries that exceeded what the coronavirus pandemic caused in terms of a rise in inflation rates, energy and food prices, and expectations of a decline in the growth rate.”
He added, “I emphasized to the Prime Minister Egypt’s vision based on the need for an immediate, permanent and comprehensive cessation of fire in Sudan, and the importance of the refraining by any external party in intervening in the crisis as a purely Sudanese matter, thus facilitating the defusing of the crisis and preventing its aggravation.”
Pursue reforms
On Monday, the Japanese leader flew to Ghana where he met president Nana Akufo-Addo where the two leaders vowed to continue to pursue reforms at the United Nations Security council where both countries are serving as non-permanent members.
The Ghanaian President noted that the current Security Council permanent members does not reflect the current reality adding that reform must be promoted.
Both heads of state also agreed to closely coordinate on the issue of Sudan, where military clashes continue for a third week.
Kenyan president William Ruto who met the Japanese leader at State House Nairobi today stressed the need for the international community to support Kenya, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) in the ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan.
Peace efforts
Mr. Ruto rallied the international community to support the peace efforts that threatened to tear apart Sudan.
“We further agreed to call for a cessation of hostilities immediately without pre-conditions, assure the safety of all civilians, including diplomatic and humanitarian personnel, and allow safe passage of humanitarian assistance and the safe movement of people seeking security,” Ruto said in a joint press conference with the Japan PM.
Regional security and climate change also featured in the talks in the meeting where the two leaders made a mutual commitment to uphold a rules-based international order.
On his part, the Japan PM expressed gratitude for the continued relationship between Nairobi and Tokyo committing to scaling up financial flows, expanding and reciprocating the mutual agreements between the two nations.
Reinforce collaboration
The Japanese leader who is scheduled to visit Mozambique as he concludes his African tour said he will engage the African heads on the situation in Ukraine and other international issues, and reinforce our collaboration.
“With the very foundation of the international order facing jeopardy, I will deepen my discussions with the leaders of each of these countries and confirm our cooperation, and I will tie all our talks into the G7 Hiroshima Summit,” he said referring to an upcoming meeting of G7 leaders in his country this month.
The gathering of the world’s richest countries is due to on May 19 to 20 and they are expected to rally for support for Ukraine, whose invasion by Russia has been blamed for the current economic turmoil across the globe.
- By Fauxile Kibet