Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday welcomed Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to Israel, affirming the close relations between the two countries.
Netanyahu said Israel and Kenya are fighting the same battle against Islamic terrorism.
“Both our peoples have suffered at the hand of these brutal terrorists, and we have no illusions about them. They want to murder our people, and we know that this is a common battle that we share with you and we’re prepared to do a great deal more,” said Netanyahu.
“I have to say that more and more African countries recognize what you recognize—that Israel is a unique partner against this extremism, that Israel is a unique partner in the way that we can work together to seize the opportunities of the future,” he added.
The Israeli and Kenyan leaders then signed a join statement that will foster cooperation on water and agriculture, establishing a bilateral committee for that purpose. They also discussed future cooperation on cyber-technology, energy, and public health issues.
Netanyahu expressed a desire to continue working with Kenya and other African countries.
“Israel is coming back to Africa and Africa is coming back to Israel,” he said.
Kenyatta said, “We both live in challenging neighbourhoods with similar security concerns and the cooperation between our two governments since the time of our independence has been formidable and we look forward that this particular trip will strengthen those ties even further.”
