Kenya opens embassy in Indonesia
Kenya's newly opened embassy in Jarkata, Indonesia.
Kenya on Thursday opened a new embassy in Indonesia, fulfilling a promise Nairobi had made two years ago to further enhance ties in the South East Asian region.
The Mission in Jarkata means Kenya now has two diplomatic stations in the region, having established one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia five years ago.
A dispatch from the Kenyan Foreign Ministry said the opening of the embassy in Indonesia will help improve business ties by adequate consular support. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo opened the Mission formally on Thursday, accompanied by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Marsudi.
“The opening of this Mission is no doubt a momentous occasion, because it marks an
incredible milestone in our bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic
relations in 1982,” she said. Indonesia opened its embassy in Nairobi 40 years ago but Nairobi had often addressed its interests in Indonesia via the nearest embassy in Bangkok Thailand.
Officials from both countries said they will now work on regular contacts to enhance trade between them, as well as discuss common positions on international.
The two sides say they are focused on improving trade, agriculture and fisheries, education and healthcare collaboration, with Kenya seen as a gateway for East Africa for Indonesian goods.
Kenya, in spite of the distance, had been exporting tea, leather and tobacco to Indonesia, worth about $8.09 million. It imported paper, boards, industrial boilers, rubbers, plastics and edible oils from Indonesia, worth about $588.86 million, according to available data from 2020.
On Thursday, Ms Omamo and Mrs Marsudi also signed two MOUs on diplomatic consultations as well as on diplomatic capacity building, seen as a path to collaborate further.
Other deals involved one on exchange of technical cooperation between Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and Indonesian News Agency (ANTARA), MOU between the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and several others on education and research.
