Rwandan President Paul Kagame warmly received Somalia's new leader, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, where the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, Radio Garowe reports.

Rwanda's leader pledged to assist President Sheikh Sharif's new government in the areas of security and development, in two-day talks held in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.

Joint meetings between Rwandan and Somali government officials focused on security cooperation, especially with regard to Rwanda's previous promises to train Somali security forces.

Mohamed Ali "America," the Somali ambassador to Kenya who is part of President Sheikh Sharif's delegation, told reporters that Somali and Rwandan ministers for foreign affairs and defense held talks to discuss areas of cooperation and mutual interest.

Somali President Sheikh Sharif visited a number of sites while in Rwanda, including the memorial compound for the 1994 victims of the Rwandan Genocide.

Since his election in January, the Somali leader has visited a number of countries in East Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi and Uganda, to shore up regional support for his nascent government.