There is a sizeable Indian community in both the African nations

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan will visit Kenya and Eritrea from Tuesday.

On Tuesday, he will be in Kenya to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President elect William Samoei Ruto as the 5th President of the country, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

MoS Muraleedharan will pay an official visit to Eritrea on September 14-15. This will be his first visit to the country.

Besides attending the official swearing-in ceremony of the President-elect in Kenya, MoS Muraleedharan will also attend a business event where he is expected to meet and address the captains of Kenyan industry and business persons doing business with India, the MEA said.

In addition to these, he will attend a community event where he will interact with the members of the Indian community living in Kenya.

According to the MEA, India enjoys friendly and historic relations with Kenya underpinned by high-level exchange of political visits. The visit is expected to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

In Eritrea, MoS Muraleedharan will call on the President Isaias Afwerki and hold talks with Foreign Minister Osman Saleh Mohammed on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. He will also interact with the Indian community in Eritrea during the visit.

India enjoys warm and cordial relations with Eritrea, the MEA pointed out. Since its independence in 1993, India has offered a range of capacity-building assistance in diverse fields to the youth of Eritrea. A sizeable Indian community, including professors, teachers, and employees of businesses, resides in Eritrea.

MoS Muraleedharan's visit is likely to give new momentum to India’s relations with Eritrea, the MEA said.