Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in the country on Thursday, April 11, for a diplomatic meeting with President William Ruto.
The talks, held at State House in Nairobi, mainly focused on Somalia’s territorial dispute with Ethiopia.
To ease the tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, Kenya called for respect for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Somalia.
“Our unambiguous position on this question is respect for the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” stated Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei.
Tensions have been escalating between the two countries following a deal for Ethiopia to construct a naval base on Somalia’s breakaway land which borders the Red Sea.
Ethiopia’s decision prompted a dispute with Somalia strongly opposing the decision, despite calls for the two states to bury the hatchet, the wrangles seem too far from the end.
Besides the talks to end the stalemate with Ethiopia, Ruto’s talks with Somalia’s head of state also touched on fighting the Al Shabaab militant group.
It was noted that Al Shabaab was using the Ethiopia-Somalia dispute to portray the government in Mogadishu as being unable to protect Somalia's sovereignty.
Mohamud’s visit to Kenya comes barely a month after Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited Kenya.
In a meeting with Abiy, Ruto emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, security, and stability within the continent.
Kenya and Ethiopia agreed on recognising, respecting, and upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
"More particularly, the meeting committed to revitalising the provisions of the Special Status Agreement of 2012, with a particular focus on trade and investment commitments," read part of a statement issued by President Ruto.
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