TANZANIA has assured the international community that it will continue honouring its international obligations as stipulated in a number of agreements.
Deputy Minister in the ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Damas Ndumbaro, yesterday told delegates of a high level plenipotentiary conference to mark the 40th anniversary of the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) that the country would honour the international agreements which essentially, legally bind agreements between states and international organisations.
“In the meantime, we will strive to strengthen and cement the relationship we have with the African Postal Union,” explained the deputy minister.
According to Dr Ndumbaro, hosting of international organisations by the country, particularly in Arusha, attested to Tanzania’s commitment in honouring the obligations.
“Apart from hosting the organisations, we will continueto accord them necessary support as they discharge their mandates,” he disclosed.
The United Nations (UN) defines Headquarters Agreements as a binding treaty which regulates the status and privileges of an international organisation in the territory of a host state.
Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1986, the definition of “treaty” is expanded from the 1969 definition to include legally binding agreements between states and international organisations, as well as between international organisations.
The deputy minister in charge of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation also emphasized the need of the 45 member states to reflect its relationship with the continental postal union as it turns 40 this year.
Bringing down the curtain on the commemoration, Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Engineer Isaack Kamwelwe, challenged African postal corporations to modernise their operations in meeting the demands of their clients.
Yesterday’s event also saw the laying of the foundation stone of the PAPU headquarters building at Sekei Ward in Arusha.
Last week, Minister of Works, Transport and Communication, Engineer Isaac Kamwelwe, PAPU and Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) senior officials handed over the plot to the contractor, Beijing Engineering Construction Limited, who is scheduled to carry out the construction and complete the 17-storey building in 30 months.
The proposed construction of the headquarters would realise Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere’s promise to the specialised institution of the African Union whose main objective is to coordinate all activities aimed at developing postal services on the African continent.
