Cyprus Deepens Relations with Kenya with Opening of New Embassy in Nairobi
News/ Tue, 07/08/2025 – 15:35
Cyprus has officially inaugurated its embassy in Nairobi, coinciding with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on political and diplomatic consultations.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi who attended the inauguration at the invitation of the visiting Cyprus minister for Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos said this reaffirms the commitment to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.
Mudavadi said the opening of this embassy lays a firm foundation for deeper dialogue, expanded cooperation, and richer engagement between the two nations.
“This gesture underscores our collective resolve to unlock new opportunities for economic growth, tackle shared challenges, and foster meaningful people-to-people connections, building on the political cooperation agreement framework we signed earlier today.” he said.
The Ministers recognized the untapped potential in the Kenya-Cyprus bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to exploring tangible outcomes for the benefit of the citizens of both countries.
“We have held lengthy discussions on the prospect of further cooperation in the field of agriculture and pledged to strengthen collaboration with the aim of boosting Kenya’s exports to Europe.” said Mudavadi
“Kenya welcomes the growing partnership with Cyprus especially in the education sector and we have agreed to expand collaboration in scholarships and capacity-building programs for Kenyans, to improve employability and address sector-specific challenges.” he added.
Kenya and Cyprus agreed to deepening cooperation in the Maritime, Blue Economy and Shipping sectors and the two leaders weighed in on the importance of promoting the tourism sector, Kenya leveraging on its substantial rebound in 2024, where international arrivals exceeded 2.4 million and earnings projections estimated at Kshs. 452.20 billion, marking a 19.79% increase.
“We have also discussed the prospect for a comprehensive framework on labour mobility to streamline access to employment opportunities for the youth in Kenya and Cyprus.” said Kombos who lauded Kenya’s conducive and welcoming environment for diplomacy, noting that Nairobi continues to cement its place as a leading regional hub for international engagement and business.
Kenya is in the final stages of developing its implementation strategy for the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), with a focus on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), Trade and Sustainable Development, and the Harmonization of Customs and Digital Trade Facilitation. As a member of the European Union, Cyprus has pledged to support Kenya in aligning its regulatory frameworks and technical standards with EU requirements, particularly in sectors where Kenya has strong export potential. This partnership is expected to strengthen Kenya’s access to European markets and enhance the competitiveness of its goods and services.
To complement these efforts, Cyprus expressed its readiness to provide technical expertise and capacity-building support in key areas such as digital customs modernization, border technology, and trade facilitation systems. These investments are crucial to streamlining Kenya’s trade processes, reducing bottlenecks, and enabling smoother compliance with EU standards. With this collaborative approach, both countries aim to ensure that Kenya fully benefits from the EPA and is well-positioned to take advantage of emerging trade opportunities within the EU.
The two leaders underscored the need to entrench a sense of shared interest and a joint commitment to multilateralism and rules-based international order.
They agreed also to broadened the shared perspective on how Kenya and Cyprus can work together more effectively on the global stage.
The two countries also pledged to fast-track pending Memorandums of Understanding in the fields of higher education and research, agriculture and livestock development and the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, and to commence work on a bilateral agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation.
