Prime minister Abiy Ahmed travelled to Somalia on 16 June, where he held talks with president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (‘Farmaajo’). The two leaders and their delegations held lengthy discussions covering a wide range of matters of mutual interest including regional and global affairs.
PM Abiy Ahmed stressed the need to adopt and implement border and joint strategy to promote stability in the Horn of Africa. He further highlighted the need to attach attention towards addressing extremism and regional conflicts, encourage trade and investment as well as to tackle poverty in the region.
He also paid tribute to the tremendous sacrifices made by Ethiopian troops who served in AMISOM in the fight against terrorist organisations that pose an existential threat not only to Somalia but also to the region.
The President finally called for the implementation of full economic integration between the two countries to bring economic growth and promote investment through the development of infrastructure, including transportation, highway, energy and train, among other areas.
The two countries also agreed to jointly invest in four seaports to attract foreign investment to their countries.
