Ethiopia and Somalia renewed their diplomatic relations during a visit of Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud on Saturday to Addis Ababa. Mohamud and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed "agreed to restore and enhance their bilateral relations through full diplomatic representation in their respective capitals.

Somalia's president will visit Ethiopia on Saturday, his office said, the strongest sign yet of improving relations between the two neighbours after a year of tensions over Addis Ababa's plans to build a naval base in a breakaway Somali region.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Ethiopia’s capital on Saturday, exactly a month to the day since the two countries’ leaders reached an agreement aimed at ending a bitter, yearlong dispute. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he received Mohamud at the Addis Ababa airport.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia have exchanged views on a range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest and held constructive discussions on strengthening the fraternal relationship between the peoples of the two countries.

The two countries are looking to build on a recent peace deal that aims to defuse mounting tension in the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to work together on a multinational force battling Islamist insurgents, signaling a further reduction of diplomatic tensions between the neighboring countries.