Workneh Gebeyehu, the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), arrived in Mogadishu on Monday.
He is expected to have high-level discussions, with Somali leaders and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Speaking on behalf of a team of Somalis welcoming the IGAD Executive Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Moallin Fiqi stated that further regional development measures will be discussed during the talks.
The creation of a Blue Economy Center of Excellence in Somalia, climate change, and regional security will also be major topics of discussion, according to Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia.
A recent agreement on reorganizing the IGAD Regional Organization was signed by Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Djibouti, indicating a renewed dedication to regional cooperation.
This visit comes in the wake of growing hostilities between Ethiopia and Somalia in the region over the MoU signed by the Breakaway region of Somaliland and Ethiopia, which Somalia strongly opposed.