Source: Hiiraan Online
Wednesday September 25, 2019
NEW YORK (HOL) – The leaders of Kenya and Somalia met in New York Tuesday for the first time in months amid souring relations following a fall-out over the maritime dispute.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and his Kenya counterpart, Uhuru Kenya held talks mediated by AU chairman Abdel Fatah Sisi, the president of Egypt in the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly.
Villa Somalia communications director Abdinur Mohamed confirmed the meeting but noted the two leaders did not open new discussions on the maritime case.“Somalia and Kenya have agreed to work towards normalizing relations without any implications for the maritime case at the ICJ which will take its full course after Egyptian President H.E Abdelfatah Al Sisi convened a tripartite meeting on the margins of the UNGA,” Mohamed tweeted.
Whereas Somalia has stood ground against any negotiations on the matter, Kenya has persistently sought an out of court settlement.
Kenyatta’s administration this month sought the intervention of the African Union Peace and Security Council over the matter. The Council called on the two countries to ‘find and amicable solution’.
Relations between Mogadishu and Nairobi have remained frosty in the better part of this year with Farmaajo’s administration transferring any donor meeting to Addis Ababa.
The International Court of Justice is set to resume proceedings on the maritime case November 4.