Kenya, Djibouti sign agreements to boost trade, bilateral links

NAIROBI, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Djibouti on Wednesday signed four agreements aimed at boosting trade and deepening bilateral links.

The deals were witnessed by visiting Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh and his host, President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi.

"We have talked about how to strengthen our cooperation and to secure our nations. Both our nations are in a very troubled region and we talked on how to secure the safety and prosperity of our people," Kenyatta said in a statement after the meeting.

Kenyatta said the partnership that has existed between Kenya and Djibouti has been strong and efforts were being made to make the cooperation more fruitful.

He said the two nations face the same kind of challenges since they are in a region that has for decades been ravaged by conflicts and modern forms of organized crime like terrorism.

The two leaders also oversaw the signing of an agreement which binds both nations to protect private or public investment in each country originating from the other as part of desire to promote greater economic cooperation.

Speaking during the ceremony, President Guelleh, who arrived in Kenya on Tuesday evening, said Djibouti desires to strengthen its partnership with Kenya in developing the region and making it peaceful.

Guelleh said Djibouti and Kenya are working together to make Somalia peaceful to ensure that the security risk that its continued instability poses to the region is eliminated.

"We are in a troubled region where we are confronted by extremism and violence. That is why our militaries are in Somalia to help it regain stability because what happens in Somalia has an immediate impact on all of us," said Guelleh.

He said Djibouti, like Kenya, is sincere in its desire to make Somalia peaceful. Enditem