During the hearings, the Somali Government will request the Court to dismiss the preliminary objections filed by the Kenyan Government as unfounded and lacking merit. The Somali Government does not believe that the purported Memorandum of Understanding dated 7th April 2009, between the Somali Government and the Kenyan Government, to establish an agreed method of dispute settlement, let alone an exclusive method. Therefore, the Somali Government does not see any obstacles to the Court’s jurisdiction. The Somali Government strongly believes in the strength of its legal case and looks forward to a fair and just decision from the Court.

The Somali and the Kenyan peoples share strong cultural and historical ties that cannot be severed or affected by any disagreements between them. Indeed, the Somali and the Kenyan peoples’ destiny and future are indissolubly interconnected. Hence, the Somali Government is committed to continuing to work hard in close cooperation with its brothers and sisters in Kenya to address the other pressing issues confronting both nations and the region.