President William Ruto addresses the congregation during National Breakfast Prayer meeting at Safari Park in Nairobi on June 07,2023. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

President William Ruto will on Saturday depart the country to visit the Republic of Djibouti.

He is expected to participate in the 14th Ordinary Assembly of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Heads of State and Government.

President Ruto will also engage in bilateral talks with Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh.

The talks are aimed at strengthening and deepening the existing ties between Kenya and Djibouti.

According to a statement by State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, the discussions will cover various areas of mutual interest, including trade relations, collaboration in the field of green energy, as well as the pursuit of regional peace and security.

President Ruto will also address members of the Djibouti parliament.

Ruto will also participate in the 14th Ordinary Assembly of IGAD Heads of State and Government on Monday, June 12, 2023.

This gathering will be IGAD's first summit since 2019, and the gathering underlines its importance in promoting regional diplomacy and cooperation.

According to Mohamed, the summit will see deliberations on critical regional matters, with a particular focus on the situation in Sudan, as well as the overall state of peace and security in the region.