Tanzania has admitted there is indeed a diplomatic tiff with Kenya but termed it as a “diplomatic principle”.
Speaking on banning Kenya Airways flights into the country, Tanzania government Spokesperson Dr Hassan Abbasi on Tuesday said, “Diplomacy is governed by a principle known as reciprocity, and Kenya has excluded Tanzania from countries whose flights can access its airspace.
“At this time, they (Kenyans) can stop coming. It is not a tiff but a diplomatic principle,” Abbasi said in a tweet.
#MAHOJIANONADKTABBASIGLOBALREDIO Diplomasia inaongozwa na Kanuni inaitwa "reciprocity",Tanzania haikutajwa katika nchi zilizoruhusiwa kuingiza ndege zao Kenya hivyo kama hatujaruhusiwa basi kwa kipindi hiki nao wapumzike kuja. Kwahiyo sio ugomvi bali ni kanuni ya kidiplomasia.
— Msemaji Mkuu wa Serikali (@TZMsemajiMkuu) August 11, 2020
Tanzanian government banned Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways, flights from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar effective August 1., This is after Tanzania was exempted from the list of states approved to fly into Kenya.
Asked if there was an disagreement with Tanzania, Kenya’s Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia told reporters that they had agreed with his Tanzanian counterpart “on all issues and that advisory which was given by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority by the end of the day (August 1) will be reversed.”
There is no diplomatic tiff between Kenya and Tanzania, says CAS Ababu Namwamba
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Ambassador Macharia Kamau and Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba also denied there were differences.
Reacting to President Pombe Magufuli’s administration decision to suspend Kenya Airways flights in Tanzania on reciprocity grounds, Ababu maintained that the relationship between the two countries was intact.
“I want to make it clear that the relationship between Kenya and Tanzania is immutable, is indispensable, it is something that is permanent with us,” Ababu said on Saturday at JKIA.
Kenya and Tanzania are joined at the hip, he said.
He spoke after flagging off flight KQ100 to London at Terminal 1 as Kenya resumed international flights.
Kenya has excluded Tanzania from the list of countries allowed to operate international flights starting August 1.
“The Authority regrets to inform you that, on a reciprocal basis, the Tanzanian Government has decided to nullify its approval for the Kenya Airways (KQ) flights between Nairobi and Dar/Kilimanjaro/Zanzibar effective August 1, 2020 until further notice. The approval was granted to KQ vide our letter,” a letter Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority boss Hamza Johari said.
He further denied claims that the delegation to the funeral of former Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa was turned back, maintaining that the aircraft developed technical problems.