President Ruto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy agree to enhance bilateral ties
President William Ruto and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed when they held bilateral talks at State House, Nairobi on February 28, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Prime Minister Abiy arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday evening for his first State visit to Nairobi since June 2018.
- The Ethiopian Prime Minister’s last visit to Kenya was in September 2022 when he attended President Ruto’s inauguration.
Kenya and Ethiopia have reaffirmed their commitment to enhanced bilateral cooperation in various sectors towards the actualization of the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063.
The two countries made the commitment during high-level talks between President William Ruto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday in Nairobi.
The areas of focus in the bilateral cooperation are trade and investment, agriculture, fisheries, transport, ICT, tourism, health, culture and forestry.
During the talks, Kenya and Ethiopia further committed themselves to the revitalisation of the stipulations of the Special Status Agreement of 2012 with special emphasis on trade and investment commitments.
President William Ruto and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed when they held bilateral talks at State House, Nairobi on February 28, 2024.
The deliberations between the two Heads of State also focused on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest and concern.
The two Heads of State also noted the need to undertake measures for the enhancement of people-to-people interaction and the facilitation of increased trade between Kenya and Ethiopia.
Regarding the security situation in the Horn of Africa, President Ruto and Dr Abiy affirmed their commitment to recognise, respect and uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States.
Prime Minister Abiy arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday evening for his first State visit to Nairobi since June 2018.
President William Ruto receives the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi on February 27, 2024.
Dr Abiy was accompanied by his wife Zinash Tayachew and several senior officials of the Ethiopian government.
The visit is expected to mark a turn-around in relations between the two neigbouring countries.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister was received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by President Ruto, the first time the Kenyan Head of State has done so to a leader of another country.
Dr Abiy’s visit was preceded by the 36th Session of the High Level Joint Ministerial Commission, which took place from February 19th to 21st in Addis Ababa, when the two countries deliberated on issues of mutual interest and reviewed the status of implementation of various cooperation frameworks.
President William Ruto and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed with their spouses at State House, Nairobi on February 28, 2024.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister’s last visit to Kenya was in September 2022 when he attended President Ruto’s inauguration.
Since then, the Horn of Africa has become a boiling point of geopolitical issues with Ethiopia facing internal strife and Sudan plunging into war.
Ethiopia and Somalia have also been bickering over an international deal that the former sealed with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Ethiopia and Kenya remained anchor states in the volatile Horn of Africa for a long time. Now the pressure is on the two leaders to uphold that reputation.
