Belarusian President Visits Equatorial Guinea, Kenya to Bolster Ties with African Nations

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited Equatorial Guinea and Kenya over the weekend to enhance ties on the African continent as diplomatically-isolated Minsk seeks to secure more African allies amid Western sanctions.

On Saturday, Lukashenko met Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in the capital Malabo.

Lukashenko was welcomed with traditional songs and dances. Obiang paid an official visit to Minsk in September 2023.

After visiting the Central African Republic, the Belarusian leader went to Kenya's capital Nairobi on Sunday.

Lukashenko invited his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto to visit Belarus during the meeting.

On Monday, the two leaders agreed to "broaden ties" during talks in Nairobi, the Kenyan presidency said.

"Immense opportunities exist between Kenya and Belarus that must be exploited for the prosperity of the two countries," Ruto said, adding that the East African nation 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.

Talks between Lukashenko and Ruto recently took place in Dubai on December 1, on the sidelines of the World Climate Summit.

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

(AP, AFP)
.
.
.
.
.
#Belarus #Equatorialguinea #Kenya #Presidents #diplomacy #VOAAfrica
- - - - -
For more visit our news site, voaafrica.com

Follow VOA Africa on Facebook: https://bit.ly/34fI6R5
Follow VOA Africa on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3jhzuzN
Follow VOA Africa on Twitter: https://bit.ly/2HDhRME

- - - - - -
VOA Africa reaches more than 25 million people on the web, social media, radio and television. We deliver Africa related content in English targeted to all 54 countries in Africa and the diaspora. Our programs engage audiences on a wide variety of topics including news, politics, science, technology, health, business, sports, music and entertainment.