TANZANIA and Rwanda have agreed to form a joint implementation committee (JIC) to closely monitor important areas of bilateral relations between the two countries that were agreed in the just concluded 14th session of the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC).
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| Head of Communications in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, East African, Regional and International Cooperation, Ms Mindi Kasiga. |
The JIC will be led by permanent secretaries in the foreign ministries from both countries and will be meeting in every quarter of each year, according to Head of Communications in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, East African, Regional and International Cooperation, Ms Mindi Kasiga.
The two-day session of the JPC meeting, which ended on Sunday, was held in the resort town of Rubavu in the Western Province of Rwanda. Among other issues, the JPC agreed to bolster bilateral ties in various key sectors, including strengthening relationship in the aviation sector, especially between the two countries’ national airlines—Rwandair and Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).
The meeting also agreed to fast-track infrastructure development on the central corridor, which combines road and railway network, as an essential trade and transport route, linking the two countries with neighbouring Burundi, Uganda and the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Ms Kasiga, who was addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam, said the meeting also agreed to increase the pace on the construction of the envisaged multi-trillion shilling standard gauge central railway line project.
The 14th JPC meeting came following the directives issued by President John Magufuli and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Kigali last month during Dr Magufuli’s maiden trip outside the country since he was elected into office last October.
During Dr Magufuli’s state visit, the two presidents pledged to strengthen the two countries’ relations to enable their citizens to work together for shared benefits and development.
The JPC meeting brought together experts from various sectors in the two countries and gave participants an opportunity to review the status of the bilateral relations with a view to boosting the ties.
The Tanzanian team was led by the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs, East African, Regional and International Cooperation, Ambassador Ramadhan Mwinyi, while the Rwandan team was under the leadership of Permanent Secretary in the Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ambassador Jeanine Kambanda.
Officials also reviewed recommendations of the 13th bilateral meeting that took place in 2011 in Tanzania and agreed that, five years on, not much had been done in implementation of the recommendations, a move that prompted the formation of a Joint Implementation Committee.
“The Rwandan government has expressed its readiness to bring in our country officers and other government officials with an aim to equip them with experience from professional colleges like the Tanzania-Zambia Centre for Foreign Relations (CFR) and the National Institute of Transport, among others,’’ noted Ms Kasiga.
The 15th JPC meeting would be held in 2018 in Tanzania. Meanwhile, Ms Kasiga said another joint meeting of permanent secretaries from Tanzania and Zambia was conducted between April 25 and 27 in Lusaka, Zambia to deliberate on the proper mechanism to solve the challenges encountered at Nakonde border in Tunduma in the newly-established Songwe Region.
“The two countries agreed that the matter be solved by conducting regular inspections and joint defence including exchange of appropriate security information between the two countries,’’ she said.
On the ongoing Burundi political impasse, Ms Kasiga said her ministry was making arrangements to seek audience with former President Benjamin Mkapa so that he could give a briefing on the ongoing mediation efforts. In March this year, Mr Mkapa was appointed by the East African Community (EAC) as facilitator of peace talks between rival factions in volatile Burundi.
The announcement was made during the 17th Ordinary Summit of EAC heads of state in Arusha, Tanzania. The former president was expected to discharge his duties under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
“We are still making efforts to reach the former president to request him to make a press briefing, the ministry will issue an official communication to you to explain if he will address the media in Arusha or Dar es Salaam,’’ said Ms Kasiga.