Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Danish government has assured continued friendship with Tanzania despite the decision to close its mission in Dar es Salaam in 2024 which it attributed to change of its international presence.
The Denmark Minister for Development Co-operation, Mr Flemming Moller Mortensen said it was a tough decision to reach, saying that it stemmed from the Danish government’s new priorities in development cooperation as outlined in its new strategy, ‘The World We Share.’
According to Mortensen, the new strategy calls on Denmark to work more closely with fragile countries in conflict, displacement and irregular migration, especially in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and neighbouring countries which have political problems.
Similarly, Mortensen said that with Tanzania having reached a milestone in development, Denmark has now worked closely with those countries that are most in need.
In addition, he explained that the move does not mean the relationship and friendship between Denmark and Tanzania was dying or fading.
He said that Denmark would continue to implement the financial commitments already made to Tanzania and would continue to support efforts to strengthen trade, economic growth, democracy and the private sector.
The Danish government announced on Friday its intention to close its mission in Dar es Salaam in 2024, citing the change of its international presence as one reason.
He said that Denmark would continue to implement the financial commitments already made to Tanzania and would continue to support efforts to strengthen trade, economic growth, democracy and the private sector.
However, analysts in the country have described the decision by the Danish government to close its embassy in Tanzania by 2024 as a common occurrence, since the country has accomplished a diplomatic mission.
They said an embassy is never closed unless the two countries break off diplomatic relations.
Speaking to ‘Sunday News ’ in a telephone interview, a lecturer at the Centre for Foreign Relations (CFR), Mr Innocent Shoo said Tanzania was the first East African country with which Denmark started a development assistance partnership in 1963, a year after the Danish Parliament passed the first Danish law on international development cooperation and after Tanzanian mainland (then Tanganyika), became independent.
“At the time the relations between our countries began we were very among the least developed countries and now we have entered the middle-income status so we are no longer the same that means the Danish government played a role in that achievement,” he noted
He said throughout the years of cooperation, the primary aim of the Danish Development cooperation has been to contribute to Tanzania’s nation-building efforts and the struggle against poverty.
Mr shoo further said for an embassy to be closed, there are two things that can lead to that one being if there is chaos or poor relations between the two countries and another is if the country has accomplished its mission.
“The Denmark decision is a normal thing as per the Vienna convention of an international relation of 1961 states that it is right for a country to close an embassy if the mission is accomplished. Tanzania and Denmark have enjoyed outstanding relations over the years,” he said.
Apart from closing its Tanzania mission, he said the country intends to close Consulate General in Chongqing (China) and the trade mission in Barcelona.
He said when a country shutters an embassy for good; it arranges for another nation to act as a protector of its citizens. Tourists who need help go to that embassy or consulate instead.
Another analyst, Goodluck Ng’ingo, said the interpretation of closing an embassy does not mean that diplomatic relations are broken, rather a common occurrence.
Mr Ng’ingo said Denmark for long has been providing grants that support social services in Tanzania which have now made tremendous achievement thus the need for subsidiaries from organizations like Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) has decreased.
“Denmark has not broken diplomatic relations but closed offices in Tanzania so they can have a consul or use existing embassies in other countries for needs such as visas and so on,” he said
He added, “The decision is not a strange one. Tanzania is represented in Denmark, through its embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. Tanzania has an honorary consulate in Denmark, so the Danish government can decide to have the same thing to offer several services,”
