NAIROBI, 15 June, 2021 (TON): On Monday, the Nairobi authorities announced to reopen Kenyan embassy in Somalia as soon as possible.

Last weekend, the Foreign Minister of Somalia sent a letter to his Kenyan counterpart inviting him to reopen Kenyan diplomatic representation in Mogadishu that was closed since December after Somalia broke off diplomatic relations between the two states.

On Monday, in a letter published on its Twitter account, the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced "that the Government of the Republic of Kenya acknowledges and welcomes the invitation of the Federal Government of Somalia to restore diplomatic relations between Somalia and Kenya.”

“The Kenyan government will proceed to reopen its embassy in Mogadishu as soon as possible and invites the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to return to Nairobi and resume his duties," it added.

However, the breakdown in diplomatic relations in December 2020 came as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta received in Nairobi the president of the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland, which is not recognized by the international community and which Mogadishu considers an integral part of Somalia.