Ethiopia and Kenya on Wednesday reached a new agreement on peace and security as the two neighbouring countries seek to strengthen bilateral ties.

The agreement was reached after the Ethiopia Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula, met and held talks with General Robert Kibochi, the Chief of Defence Forces of the Kenya Defence Forces, in Nairobi.

According to a statement issued by the Ethiopian Foreign Affairs ministry, the top military officials have agreed to strengthen cooperation on "bilateral and regional security issues, including hosting capacity-building training sessions and sharing experiences in peacekeeping."

They further agreed to take the lead role in strengthening the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) as member states of the African Union-backed bloc.

The force is a regional organisation whose mandate is to enhance peace and security in the volatile wider Eastern Africa region.