MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and top Kenyan diplomat Musalia Mudavadi will hold talks in Moscow on Monday.

The Kenyan official is on a visit to Moscow on March 15-18.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that Moscow and Nairobi maintain friendly relations based on mutual respect. The parties will thoroughly discuss the current state of bilateral relations and the prospects for their development, outlining practical steps to boost political dialogue and communication in economic, trade, humanitarian and other fields. "They will exchange views on issues of mutual interest concerning the regional and international agenda, with a focus on more effective coordination within the United Nations and other multilateral organizations," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The two countries see great potential for increasing trade and economic cooperation, which has not been realized yet. Plans to establish an intergovernmental commission to deal with these matters were announced during Lavrov’s visit to Kenya in 2023. The issue was brought up once again at a meeting between Georgy Karasin, the chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s (upper house of parliament) Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Kathuri Murungi, the deputy speaker of Kenya’s Senate.

The development of ties in the field of education is also expected to be discussed at the upcoming meeting as demand for Russian university education is high in the East African nation.

Notably, the Africa Center for the Study of Russia (ACSOR), aimed at strengthening scientific, cultural and political ties between Russia and Kenya, opened at the University of Nairobi on February 25.