Tanzania has reinforced its strategic partnership with the European Union following a series of high-level consultations in Brussels led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, underscoring Dar es Salaam’s renewed focus on results-oriented diplomacy.
During the visit, Kombo held talks with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, members of the Political and Security Committee (PSC), Vice-President of the European Parliament Younous Omarjee, and EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela.
The engagements highlighted Tanzania’s push for practical cooperation that delivers measurable development outcomes.
Kombo, accompanied by a ministerial delegation that included the Minister of State in the President’s Office, Prof Palamagamba Kabudi, discussed ways to deepen cooperation in regional peace and security, rules-based trade, investment facilitation and predictable partnership frameworks.
Tanzania stressed the importance of partnerships that move beyond commitments to implementation, particularly in areas that support economic transformation.
Addressing the PSC, the EU’s main ambassador-level body for foreign, security and defence policy coordination, Kombo presented Tanzania’s perspectives directly to representatives of all 27 EU member states.
The engagement reaffirmed Tanzania’s standing as a constructive partner on peace, security and regional stability in East Africa, while strengthening its voice within the EU’s decision-shaping structures.
Parliamentary diplomacy also featured prominently, with Kombo holding discussions at the European Parliament with Vice-President Omarjee.
The talks underlined the role of inter-parliamentary engagement in sustaining long-term cooperation on trade, governance and people-to-people relations.
In meetings with Commissioner Síkela, Tanzania outlined its development and investment priorities, calling for bankable, high-impact cooperation that supports job creation, skills development, value addition and resilient infrastructure.
The discussions aligned Tanzania’s national transformation agenda with the EU’s focus on sustainable and mutually beneficial international partnerships.
The Brussels programme reflects the foreign policy direction set out by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who has emphasised pragmatism, respect for national sovereignty and active engagement with all partners.
At the core of this approach is a commitment to multilateralism and cooperation based on equality, mutual respect and shared benefit.
Tanzanian officials said the engagements also dovetailed with the EU’s cooperation priorities with Tanzania, particularly in green development, human capital and employment, and governance, strengthening the pipeline for structured programmes, implementation support and investment mobilisation.
As part of public diplomacy efforts, Kombo gave an interview to Diplomatic World at Tanzania’s Embassy in Brussels, describing the visit as a deliberate investment in relationship-building across EU institutions.
He said the aim was to deepen trust, broaden cooperation channels and enhance Tanzania’s profile as a stable and attractive partner for trade, investment and development cooperation.
Engagement with the EU remains especially important in the period following Tanzania’s general elections of October 29, 2025.
The EU is a key development, trade and political partner, and Tanzanian officials said sustained dialogue helps safeguard continuity in cooperation while domestic institutional processes, including the work of an independent commission of inquiry into post-election violence, continue.
Kombo said Brussels is central to EU policy coordination and financing decisions, making sustained engagement there a strategic investment in economic diplomacy, trade expansion and investment attraction.
The Foreign Ministry said the visit demonstrated that Tanzania is not a passive recipient of cooperation but a proactive partner shaping its international relationships to secure tangible benefits for its people.