What President Ruto and US Secretary of State Blinken discussed in their meeting
Kenya and the United States of America have agreed to strengthen their partnership following a meeting between President William Ruto and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on Wednesday.
The two met for the first time since President Ruto assumed office at the August 9 General Election.
Through his Twitter account, Blinken said that they discussed the ongoing efforts to address food insecurity and regional peace and security.
“Kenya is open for increased business with the US. A conducive and enabling business environment will be a focus area of my administration to spur domestic and foreign direct investments to create jobs and wealth,” President Ruto said.
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On his part, Blinken expressed optimism for stronger strategic partnership between the two countries, especially on trade and investment.
The two met after President Ruto submitted Kenya’s statement in the 77th UN General Assembly meeting.
Earlier on, the President Ruto urged US investors to invest in Kenya when he met them during a US-Kenya Executive Business roundtable.
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In his address to the General Assembly on Wednesday, President Ruto said the meeting comes at a unique moment when the entire world is struggling with multiple grave challenges, including regional conflicts, Covid-19, triple planetary crises, food insecurity and the rising cost of living.
President Ruto said Covid-19 pandemic exposed stark justice and solidarity deficits in the face of existential crisis. The president further said the pandemic brought into sharp focus the global economy’s two-lane highway, repressively patrolled by a rising tide of exclusionist nationalism.
“A spectre that undermines prospects of collective action and significantly impairs the resolve of the international community to guarantee fundamental rights, including the safety and dignity of the world’s vulnerable majority,” President Ruto said.
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