President Uhuru Kenyatta has maintained that Somalia should allow negotiations over the disputed oil field in the Indian Ocean.
While making the appeal when he addressed the General Debate of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Uhuru said Kenya remains committed to its pursuit of peace and stability in the region.
Uhuru said such commitment is what will see neighboring countries achieve their development agenda.
"The commitment to pursue peace and security remains at the core of Kenya’s Foreign Policy. I am pleased to say that combined efforts to advance peace and security in the region continue to bear fruits," he said.
Uhuru while congratulating Sudan and South Sudan for committing to a path of sustainable peace, challenged Juba land to consider dialogue and negotiation as an option for resolving the maritime border dispute currently before the ICC.
"In the same spirit, my administration continues to reach out to Somalia in an effort to find an amicable and sustainable solution to the maritime boundary dispute between us," he said.
"In this regard, I welcome the decision of the African Union Peace and Security Council of 3rd September 2019 that urges both parties to engage."
Uhuru said the UN Charter privileges the use of negotiation as the most preferred mechanism for settlement of disputes.
Similarly, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides for the delimitation of maritime boundaries between states amicably.
"It is this normative framework that informs Kenya’s call for the resolution of this dispute through negotiation," he said.
Earlier on, Uhuru met with his Somalia counterpart Mohamed Farmaajo amid efforts to reach an amicable solution over the tension surrounding the case.
The meeting was convened by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who is the current African Union chairman.
Al Sisi announced that he had brokered a deal between the two countries.
