The new Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic
of Kenya, Vsevolod Tkachenko on Wednesday presented his credential to President
William Ruto, in a ceremony held at State House, Nairobi.
Tkachenko will be taking over from Dmitry Maksimychev whose term has come to an end after leading the Embassy since 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Tkachenko, a diplomat with over 40 years of experience, to strengthen ties between Russia and Kenya.
He is fluent in Swahili, one of the official languages in Kenya, and Tanzania.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony, Tkachenko said Kenya and Russia are both dynamic countries with growing economies, and rich cultural heritage and they share a remarkable history of bilateral relations since the 1963.
He said this has been based on mutual beneficial trust and last year they marked 60 years of these relations.
“Russia considers Kenya a prominent African power and an important political and economic partner, which is the spirit of mutual commitment to constructive dialogue and the will to cooperate in various sectors both at bilateral and multilateral levels, in the United Nations and other international forums.
“Kenya’s role in securing peace and stability in Africa and beyond is highly valued by our country as well. I am convince that Russia – Kenya relations have a significant potential that must be taken advantage of,” Tkachenko said.
He noted that his focus as he begins his term in Kenya will be to foster and nurture the existing cooperation.
“Intensify our collaboration in trade and investment, tourism and education as well as in other areas of mutual interest,” the Ambassador added.
Before his appointment, he was the Director of African Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry a position he held since 2020.
A graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Tkachenko began his diplomatic career in East Africa in 1983 with a posting at the Embassy of the USSR in Uganda until 1988.
In 1991 he served at the Russian Embassy in Zimbabwe up to 1996.
From 2014 to 2019, he served as an Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union.
Tkachenko’s appointment coincides with the appointment of Dr Peter Mathuki as Nairobi’s new Ambassador to Moscow.
