MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Somali government has dismissed claims that it agreed with Kenya to resolve maritime dispute case out of court months before International Court of Justice decided the fate of the case.
Deputy prime minister, Mahdi Mohamed Gulaid has said the restoration of diplomatic ties with Kenya will have no effect on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case
“The maritime dispute will be finalized by the International Court of Justice following oral hearing completed in March 15-18 this year,” Guled said. “We are awaiting fair judgment Diplomatic relations between the two countries is separate issue.”
The development came after Mogadishu based Radio Mustaqbal reported that Somalia decided to drop maritime case at ICJ.
Somalia and Kenya are seeking a resolution on the ownership of a 150,000 square-kilometer (58,000 square-mile) area off their Indian Ocean coastline, which both countries want to explore for oil, gas and fish.
In 2014, Somalia went to court to challenge a 2009 agreement that set its maritime border along latitudinal lines extending 450 nautical miles into the sea.
The court has concluded the hearing of the case and is expected announce its ruling in the forthcoming months.
The court verdict is final and not subject to appeal.
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