Kenya and Djibouti on Wednesday signed four agreements aimed at boosting trade and deepening bilateral links.
The agreements were signed at State House, Nairobi, where President Uhuru Kenyatta hosted Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who is on a three-day State Visit to Kenya.
The agreements signed included Trade Agreement, MoU on Bilateral Cooperation in the Livestock Sector, Agreement on Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments and an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic passports.
They were signed shortly after President Kenyatta and Mr Guelleh held bilateral talks focusing on trade and security.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh"]
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President Kenyatta affirmed the partnership that has existed between Kenya and Djibouti has been strong and efforts were being made to make the cooperation more fruitful.
The Head of State, who spoke after holding a private meeting with his guest, said the two nations face the same kind of challenges since they are in a region that has for decades been ravaged by conflicts and modern forms of organised crime like terrorism.
“We have talked about how to strengthen our cooperation and to secure our nations. Both our nations are in a very troubled region and we talked on how to secure the safety and prosperity of our people,” stated President Kenyatta.
President Guelleh reiterated that Djibouti desires to strengthen its partnership with Kenya in developing the region and making it peaceful.
He added that his country and Kenya are working together to make Somalia peaceful to ensure the security risk its continued instability poses to the region is eliminated.
“We are in a troubled region where we are confronted by extremism and violence. That is why our militaries are in Somalia to help it regain stability because what happens in Somalia has an immediate impact on all of us,” stated President Guelleh.
After the talks, President Kenyatta and Guelleh, who arrived in the country on Tuesday, witnessed the signing of the agreements.
The trade agreement will open the door for more business between Kenya and Djibouti as it will act as a facilitation mechanism.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh"]
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