Press TV/2011-02-28 - As Iran's foreign policy attaches significance to enhanced ties with African countries, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman voices the country's readiness to bolster economic cooperation with Kenya.

“Iran is currently offering Kenya a credit facility of $200 million. We can increase the facility to $400 million depending on the credibility of projects the Kenyan government runs,” Daily Nation newspaper quoted Ramin Mehmanparast as speaking to reporters in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Monday.

He further added that Iran enjoys the expertise and infrastructure necessary for multinational projects and noted that Tehran was monitoring the credibility of Kenya's projects.

Iran signed protocol agreements with Kenya during an official visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Nairobi in 2009, which provided frameworks for strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The Islamic Republic also provided a credit facility of $5 million to Kenya to promote animal health and cooperation.

Mehmanparast did not elaborate on specific projects funded by the Iranian government but said economic relations between Tehran and Nairobi would focus more on technological empowerment, especially provision of gas and oil.

“Within 32 years of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the country has become one of the 10 greatest superpowers in terms of technology. It is for this reason that some nations are worried,” the Iranian spokesperson went on to say.

“But we want to assure them and the entire world that Iran will use this technology for the benefit of its friendly partners like Kenya,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, enhanced energy cooperation with Iran, with a capacity of producing more than 40,000 megawatts, can serve the interests of Kenya, which produces about 1,300 megawatts of electricity.

Mehmanparast further explained that an Iranian firm was planning to build a power plant in Nairobi and a gas plant in Mombasa.

According to Africa Economic Institute, Kenya's growing need for energy has encouraged the East African country to promote its ties with Iran, which has oil and nuclear power as alternative power sources.

The Iranian spokesman also expressed his country's commitment to increase the volume of tea imports from Kenya.

“At the moment Iran imports about 5,000 tons of tea from Kenya annually. We will, in the near future, increase the volumes, of course depending on people's preference,” he concluded.