Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed has pledged his nation’s “commitment to recognize, respect and uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of countries during a trip to Kenya.
His comments came amid concerns of a regional conflict after Ethiopia signed a controversial port access deal with Somaliland on January 1.
Under the pact, Somaliland agreed to lease 20 kilometers of coastal land to landlocked Ethiopia in exchange for recognition by Addis Ababa, angering Somalia, which counts the breakaway state as part of its territory.
“…They affirmed their commitment to recognise, respect and uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity of state, and to reject unconstitutional changes of government as well as interference in domestic political processes of African countries by external interests,” the Kenyan presidency said in a statement on Wednesday following a meeting between Ahmed and president William Ruto in Nairobi.
The Ethiopian PM’s trip to Kenya came as the same time as a visit to Nairobi by Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Mohamud and Ruto discussed bilateral ties and other issues of mutual concern, their offices said.
During the Kenya trip, Mohamud said he would discuss “certain destabilising unilateral actions that threaten to exacerbate the worsening” regional stability.
