The announcement followed a working visit to Mogadishu on Thursday by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the first since February 2023, during which he was received by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to follow up on back-to-back engagements over the past months and reinforce the normalization of bilateral relations.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit. Recognizing the deep historical ties between their peoples and the shared border that connects them, they emphasized the importance of building trust through enhanced diplomatic, economic and social collaboration.

Ethiopia and Somalia are interdependent nations with a common destiny and a shared vision of regional stability and prosperity, the text underlined.

In that spirit, Ahmed and Mohamud expressed their commitment to implement strategic infrastructure projects to ensure sustainable development, economic integration and strengthen people-to-people ties.

ef/arm/ro/nmr