Ethiopia–Kenya relations are

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. The two nations maintain primarily trade ties.

Overview

Ethiopia first established ties with the British colonial administration in the East Africa Protectorate in 1907, when the Ethiopia-Kenya border was initially defined. The boundary was further clarified in 1947, and then formally demarcated in 1950–1955.Ethiopia-Kenya relations
Retrieved 12 January 2015 In 1954, Ethiopia established an Honorary Consulate General in Kenya, formally establishing ties between it and the colonial administration. During Ethiopia's occupation by

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, Ethiopian forces operated in British Kenyan territory, where they retrieved supplies. The Kenyan rebel group Mau Mau also operated within Ethiopian territory during the former's struggle for independence. In 1961, while Kenya was still a British colony, Ethiopia appointed its first Ambassador to Kenya. Kenya opened an embassy in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

six years later. In 1964 the two countries signed a defence pact which has remained in force to this date. After Kenya's independence, a Joint Inter-Ministerial Consultative Committee reviewed the boundary between both nations. A treaty to this effect was subsequently signed in 1970.

State visits

President

Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...

visited Addis Ababa in early 2019 with a trade delegation at the two day Kenya-Ethiopia High Level Trade and Investment Forum. The tour involved a visit to Hawassa Industrial Park.Kenya – Ethiopia relations boosted as Abiy hosts Kenyatta
Retrieved 15 August 2019. Prime Minister

Abiy Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") is a town in central Tigray, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital. Overview The town is divided into t ...

visited Nairobi in May 2018 and held talks with President

. The leaders established a Bi-National Commission, it is the highest level of structured bilateral cooperation that Kenya has with any country. Both leaders also discussed security particularly anti-terrorism and Somalia's current situation.President Kenyatta, PM Abiy Pledge New Drive To Boost Kenya, Ethiopia Ties
Retrieved 15 August 2019. President of Ethiopia

Sahle-Work Zewde Sahle-Work Zewde (, born 21 February 1950) is an Ethiopian politician and diplomat who is the president of Ethiopia since 2018, being the first woman to hold the office. She was elected as president unanimously by members of the Federal Parlia ...

visited Nairobi in mid-2019 and held talks with

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

.. Ethiopian President arrives for talks with President Kenyatta
Retrieved 6 February 2020.

Cooperation

As part of the talks held between the leaders of Ethiopia and Kenya in 2018 key areas of cooperation were agreed upon. Those key areas were agriculture, tourism, joint military training and transport and infrastructure particularly the

LAPSSET Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project, also known as Lamu corridor is a transport and infrastructure project in Kenya that, when complete, will be the country's second transport corridor. Kenya's other transport cor ...

Corridor, the Ethiopia-Kenya interconnection transmission line and the Moyale Joint City and Economic Zone.Joint communique during state visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ali
Retrieved 15 August 2019. Other things included were strengthening of cooperation between national carriers Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways. Ethiopia and Kenya are security partners as part of the

AMISOM The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implem ...

Mission in Somalia.. The Strategic Situation in Somalia and the Upcoming Withdrawal of International Forces
Retrieved 15 August 2019.

Trade and development

Ethiopia and Kenya maintain trading ties. Both countries are members of the

IGAD The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa. It includes governments from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley and the African Great Lakes. It is headquartered in Djibouti (city), Djibouti. Member s ...

trade bloc. However, commerce is largely unidirectional, with Ethiopia mainly importing products from Kenya. In 2012, Ethiopia exported $4 million worth of goods to Kenya, while Kenya exported $54 million in commodities to Ethiopia.. Ethiopia opens doors to trade with Kenya
Retrieved 12 January 2015. In 2012, the countries signed a Special Status Agreement. The deal stipulates that both parties are permitted to open representative offices in each other's territory for trade facilitation, information sharing and liaison purposes. The Ethiopian Parliament later approved the treaty in April 2014. Additionally, the Ethiopian and Kenyan governments have invested in cross-border infrastructure. The Addis Ababa-Nairobi road project was launched in 2012. It was meant to tarmac the 505 km section between Isiolo and Moyale on the frontier. The highway project is slated for completion in 2015.. Moyale Road to open up trade, says Kenya National Highways Authority
Retrieved 12 January 2015. In 2016, the two countries agreed to build an oil pipeline that would run from the Kenyan port of Lamu to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. This would be one of various infrastructural projects on which the two countries would work together.

Diplomatic missions

* Ethiopia has an embassy in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

. * Kenya has an embassy in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ethiopia-Kenya relations

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Bilateral relations of Kenya