Kenya, Somalia agree to restore ties after spat over oil rights(Photos)

H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta holds talks with the President of Somalia H.E. Mohamed Farmaajo Pic : Photo Courtesy

Kenya, Somalia agree to restore ties after spat over oil rights

NAIROBI  Kenya and Somalia agreed to restore ties on Thursday after a months-long spat over oil rights that led the neighbors to halt the issuance of visas on arrival for each other’s citizens.

During the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed the invaluable relations that exist between Kenya and Somalia and agreed to explore avenues of strengthening bilateral and diplomatic ties between Nairobi and Mogadishu for the benefit of the citizens of the two nations | @M_Farmaajo pic.twitter.com/bzKbDK3dyU

— State House Kenya (@StateHouseKenya) November 14, 2019

Kenya and Somalia have today agreed to normalise bilateral relations starting with the restoration of the issuance of travel visas on arrival for citizens of the two nations.

The two East African nations “agreed to normalize bilateral relations” beginning with the restoration of the visa policy, Kenya’s presidency said on Twitter late on Thursday.

The agreement was reached today during a meeting between Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of the Federal Republic of Somalia on the sidelines of the just concluded Nairobi #ICPD25 summit

The oil rights dispute is linked to the nations’ maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean, subject of a long-running case before the International Court of Justice that Somalia filed against Kenya in 2014.

During the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed the invaluable relations that exist between Kenya and Somalia and agreed to explore avenues of strengthening bilateral and diplomatic ties between Nairobi and Mogadishu for the benefit of the citizens of the two nations