NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 24 – Kenya and Ethiopia have reaffirmed their commitment to continue working together with Somalia to help its government towards reconstruction.

Speaking after holding bilateral talks with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Nairobi, President Uhuru Kenyatta said that conflict in Somalia had affected its neighbours.

The Head of State said: “On IGAD and regional peace and development, we focused on our efforts to contribute to sustainable peace, reconstruction and development in Somalia.”

“Kenya and Ethiopia remains strategic partners especially within the IGAD framework in the search for peace and political stability of Somalia. Kenya and Ethiopia continue to bear a disproportionate burden occasioned by the long standing crisis which afflicted that neighbourly state more than 20 years ago,” the president added, saying that they also touched on efforts towards the positive developments on the negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan.

The president reaffirmed his government’s commitment to enhancing the relations with Ethiopia while opening opportunities that benefit people in the two countries.

The Head of State said the bilateral relations between the two countries were not only hinged on a long tradition of friendship but also on a Special Status Agreement.

Within the framework of co-operation for mutual benefit, the two Heads of State also conferred on the modalities of actualising the Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) project as part of the common destiny, as neighbours and a region.

President Kenyatta and the Prime Minister also spoke on matters relating to the African Union, of which Desalegn is the current chairman.

With regard to the AU which is commemorating 50 years since its launch, the president assured that Kenya would remain a strong supporter of the pursuit of Africa’s unity and vision of a common development agenda.

Source:- Capital FM

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