President Uhuru Kenyatta, on Wednesday, welcomed his Somali counterpart, Mohamed Abdullahi, alongside Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed to State House, Nairobi.
The three East African leaders are reported to have held a lengthy discussion touching on several issues, key among them being the recent diplomatic tension between Kenya and Somalia.
A report from PM Abiy’s seen by Capital News revealed that the two nations would work towards peace, with the three leaders pictured locked in a cordial three-way handshake after the closed-door session.
"President Abdullahi and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta have had a fruitful meeting at State House this morning. The main agenda for the meeting was to find a solution to diplomatic differences,” PM Abiy’s press office divulged.
Somalia’s president arrived in the country on Tuesday night in the company of PM Abiy, who is reported to have taken the position of chief mediator during the talks.
Foreign Affairs Political and Diplomatic Secretary, Tom Omollo, received both leaders at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Relations between the neighbouring nations (Kenya and Somalia) was on the brink of collapse in February, after it was reported that Somalia was planning to sell off off-shore oil and gas block that Kenya claimed was on its side of the border.
The sensitive situation took a turn for the worse when Kenya recalled its diplomatic envoy to Somalia, Lt. General (Rtd) Lucas Tumbo while sending Somalia’s representative back.
Kenya went on to point the blame on Mogadishu for engaging in the London auction, while totally disregarding the ongoing mediation processes and a boundary delimitation case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) filed by Somalia on August 28, 2014.
