On 28August 2014, the Federal Republic of Somalia (the “Somali Government”)filed an application instituting legal proceedings against the Republic of Kenya (the“Government of Kenya”) at the International Court of Justice (the “ICJ”) inThe Hague,the Netherlands.
The Somali Government requested the ICJ to establish asingle maritimeboundary between Somalia and Kenya in the Indian Ocean delimiting the territorial sea,exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf, including the continental shelf beyond200 nautical miles.
Somalia and Kenya are widely apart in their positions on the location of theirmaritime boundary in the area where their maritime entitlements overlap.
Delegationsfrom both countries have met on several occasions to exchange views on thedispute.None of these negotiation sessions yielded an agreement. The inability of bothcountries to narrow their differenceshasdemonstrated the need for judicial resolution ofthis dispute. In view of this, the Somali Government sought the ICJ to peacefully resolvethe disagreements between the two countrieson this matter.
Kenya played apivotal rolein the negotiations leading to the adoption of theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”) in 1982. Both counties arecontracting parties of UNCLOS, which prescribesthe rules for peaceful settlement ofmaritime disputes.
Accordingly, we are confident that the Kenyan Government willagree with the wisdom of complying with both countries’ obligationsunder internationallaw for seeking a peaceful resolution to the pending dispute.The Somali and the Kenyan people share strong cultural and historical ties thatcannot be severed or affected by any disagreements among them. Indeed, the Somaliand the Kenyan people’s destiny and future are indissolubly interconnected.
Hence, theSomali Government is committed to continuing to work hard in close cooperation withour brothers and sisters in Kenya to address the pressing issues confronting both ourcountries and the region
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