Kenya and Somalia on Thursday agreed to normalise bilateral relations, starting with the restoration of the issuance of travel visas on arrival for citizens of the two nations.
The restoration of the visa on arrival arrangement is aimed at enhancing free and unhindered movement of people and commerce between Kenya and Somalia.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia on the sidelines of the just concluded Nairobi ICPD25 summit.
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.
President Mohamed conveyed his gratitude to President Kenyatta for the role Kenya continues to play in AMISOM and for the hospitality the country continues to accord Somali.
The relations between the two countries deteriorated following a maritime border dispute.
Somalia filed the boundary delimitation dispute on August 28, 2014, before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) staking a claim on an estimated 62,000 square miles oil-rich triangle in the Indian Ocean.
Before the case was filed, bilateral negotiations had dragged on for six years without much success.
Somalia is seeking to redraw the maritime boundary from the current eastwards flow from the land border south of Kiunga, to a diagonal flow.
If the court agrees with Somalia, Kenya could lose up to 100,000km2 of sea thought to contain huge amounts of hydrocarbons.
Nairobi also accused Somalia of continuing to market oil stocks to investors even though the area is still contested.
It said Mogadishu was using illegal maps that encroached on the Kenyan side; which was denied by Somali authorities.
According to insiders, Nairobi believes that oil and gas companies are fuelling the dispute, with some already taking strategic positions to join the race for exploration soon after the matter is dispensed with by the court.
During the meeting with Kenyatta, the Somali leader expressed confidence that the maritime boundary dispute between his country and Kenya that is currently before the International Court of Justice in The Hague will be resolved in a mutually acceptable manner.
JK/as/APA