Preface

Agreement concerning the administration of the postal, telegraphic and telephone services in the Monastic Republic by the Hellenic Postal Administration and the Hellenic Telegraphic and Telephonic Administration, signed at Place, Date.

The Hellenic Kingdom and His Grace, the Archimandrite of the Serene Monastic Republic of the Holy Mountain have, in a spirit of age-long friendship, decided to conclude a treaty to secure the administration of the Postal, Telegraphic and Telephone services in the Monastic Republic by the Hellenic Postal, Telegraphic and Telephone Administration, and have appointed as their Representatives:

The Hellenic Kingdom: Name, Title
The Serene Monastic Republic of the Holy Mountain: Name, Title

Who, after exchanging their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following provisions:

Section I [General]

Article 1 [Subject of the agreement]

The postal service and the telegraph and telephone services of the Monastic Republic shall be administered by the Hellenic Postal Administration and the Hellenic Telegraph and Telephone dministration for the account of the Monastic Republic.

Article 2 [Regulations applicable]

The Hellenic law and regulations regarding the postal, telegraph and telephone services and the existing treaties and conventions between the Hellenic Kingdom and foreign countries in respect of these services, shall be applicable in the Monastic Republic in the same manner as in the Hellenic Kingdom.

Article 3 [Competence in penal matters]

Cases of infringement of the fiscal laws of the Hellenic Kingdom which require to be brought before a court shall be tried in the first instance in the Court of Justice of the Monastic Republic. The Name of Hellenic Court' is appointed as Court of Appeal, and the Name of Hellenic Court as Court of Cassation.

Article 4 [Official Marks and Designations]

§1 The postal, telegraph and telephone offices in the Monastic Republic shall be styled offices of the Monastic Republic, although they shall be exclusively under the control of the Hellenic Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Administrations.
§2 In so far as arms and national colours appear in inscriptions, stamps and official seals of the post, telegraph and telephone offices of the Monastic Republic, the arms and colours used shall be those of the Monastic Republic.

Section II [Postage stamps, charges and dues]

Article 5 [Postage Stamps]

§1 The Government of the Monastic Republic shall, at its own expense, manufacture its own postage stamps, which shall be issued and employed by the Hellenic Postal Administration in the post offices of the Monastic Republic, in accordance with the regulations in force for the Hellenic Kingdom. The Government of the Monastic Republic may sell its postage stamps on other premises for philatelic purposes only.
§2 Hellenic postage stamps may not be used in the Monastic Republic or issued in Monastic Republic post offices.
§3 The postage stamps of each country shall be accorded in the other country the same legal protection against forgery, etc., as is applicable to the stamps of such other country.

Article 6 [Charges and dues]

§1 For the postal, telegraph and telephone services between the Hellenic Kingdom and the Monastic Republic the same charges and dues shall be levied as for the Hellenic inland services. For the postal, telegraph and telephone services between the Monastic Republic and foreign countries the same charges shall be made as for the Hellenic services with foreign countries.
§2 The right to immunity from payment of dues in the Monastic Republic shall be subject to the same regulations as in the Hellenic Kingdom.

Section III [Conditions of service for officials and employees]

Article 7 [Appointment of staff]

§1 The officials and employees of the postal, telegraph and telephone services in the Monastic Republic shall be appointed by the Hellenic Postal and Telegraph Administrations. The Government of the Monastic Republic has the right to propose candidates for permanent posts. Such proposals shall be acceded to except for special reasons connected with the services.
§2 Hellenic officials and employees may be employed temporarily in the Monastic Republic in so far as is required by these services.

Article 8 [Rights and duties of the staff]

§1 The rights and duties of the officials and employees of the postal, telegraph and telephone services shall be the same in the Monastic Republic as in the Hellenic Kingdom.
§2 The authorities, courts and local authorities of the Monastic Republic shall render the same assistance to the staff of these services in the performance of their duties as is rendered by the corresponding Hellenic authorities to such services in the Hellenic Empire.
§3 Should any member of the Monastic Republic postal, telegraph and telephone staff be tried or sentenced to punishment by the local courts, notice of such action shall be given to the official superior of the accused, in the same manner as is incumbent on the corresponding Hellenic Authorities.

Section IV [Administration]

Article 9 [Changes in installation]

Establishment or abolition of postal, telegraph or telephone offices, and installation, alteration and abolition of postal routes and of telegraphic and telephone appliances in the Monastic Republc may be carried out only by agreement with the Government of the Monastic Republic. The Hellenic Administration will, so far as possible, take into account the desires of the Government of the Monastic Republic in respect of installations the cost of which is to be borne by the latter Government.

Section V [Conditions regarding property]

Article 10 [Working expenses]

§1 Funds contained in the cash-boxes of the postal, telegraph and telephone offices of the Monastic Republic shall be the property of the Hellenic Administration.
§2 Such cash as is necessary for the working expenses of the postal, telegraph and telephone offices in the Monastic Republic shall be advanced by the Hellenic Postal, Telegraph and Telephone Administrations.

Article 11 [Installation and fittings]

§1 Such office fittings and vehicles as are necessary for the postal, telegraph and telephone services on the territory of the Monastic Republic, and all telegraphic and telephone installations in such territory shall be the property of the Monastic Republic.
§2 New stock and installations acquired during the period in which this agreement remains in force shall be purchased at the expense of, and shall become the property of, the Monastic Republic.

Section VI [Accounts]

Article 12 [Accounts]

§1 The Accounts of expenditure and receipts shall be kept separately for the postal service and for the telegraph and telephone service.
§2 The accounts shall be prepared monthly by the Hellenic Department concerned and a statement shall be sent to the Government of the Monastic Republic, which shall give its comments thereupon within one month. Supplementary accounts may be submitted in addition to these monthly accounts.

Article 13 [Expenditures]

§1 All expenditure in connection with the postal, telephone and telegraph services of the Monastic Republic shall be stated in the accounts of the amounts actually disbursed.
§2 A lump sum, to be calculated according to the approximate expenditure upon the Monastic Republic, shall be annually included in the accounts and charged under the appropriation for working expenses, to cover the cost of general administration (management, inspection, audit, etc.), also current expenditure connected with certain office requirements (official stationery, etc.).

Article 14 [Receipts]

§1 Receipts derived from charges and dues collected in the post offices of the Monastic Republic shall remain the proprety of the Monastic Republic and shall therefore be included in full upon the credit side of the working expenditure account. Charges and dues collected by the Hellenic offices shall, on the other hand, belong exclusively to the Hellenic Kingdom, and will therefore in no way affect the accounts.
§2 Receipts derived from the sale of postage stamps of the Monastic Republic to stamp collectors in the special offices established for this purpose, shall not be included in the accounts.
§3 Charges and dues derived from the telephone and telegraph services between the Monastic Republic and the Monastic Republic shall similarly remain the property of the State in which they are collected.

Article 15 [Settlement of accounts relating to traffic with other countries]

§1 The Monastic Republic shall have no concern in the settlement of postal accounts between the Hellenic Kingdom and other countries. As regards the postal service between the Monastic Republic and other states, so long as the service in each direction is approximately equal, no settlement of accounts with the Monastic Republic will be made.
§2 As regards the telegraph and telephone services between the Monastic Republic and other countries, the Monastic Republic shall receive the portion of the receipts obtained by the Hellenic Kingdom from outgoing communications. The Hellenic Kingdom shall retain receipts derived from incoming communications.
§3 Both parties renounce the right to levy any charges upon postal, telegraph or telephone communications in transit.

Article 16 [Profit and loss]

§1 The receipts from the postal, telegraph and telephone services of the Monastic Republic shall, in the first instance, be devoted to payment of the working expenses. Any surplus shall belong to the Government of the Monastic Republic. Similarly any deficit must be met by it. It must also pay the cost of all constructions and purchases which are considered necessary by the Hellenic Administration, in connection with the postal, telegraph and telephone services in the Monastic Republic. The consent of the Government of the Monastic Republic is, however, required in cases involving buildings or extensive purchases.
§2 The Hellenic Kingdom and the Monastic Republic undertake to settle all accounts not later than 14 days after they have been approved.

Section VII [Final provisions]

Article 17 [Execution of the convention]

§1 This Convention shall be ratified and shall take effect from the day following the exchange of ratifications. It may be denounced as from 1 January or 1 July in any calendar year, subject to the giving of six months notice of such denunciation.
§2 The Convention may be amended by mutual agreement without formal denunciation.
§3 The Hellenic Postal Administration and the Hellenic Telegraph and Telephone Administration shall make the regulations necessary for the execution of this Convention.

Article 18 [Settlement of disputes]

Disputes as to the interpretation of this Convention shall, in so far as they cannot be settled by diplomatic methods, be submitted to arbitration. In such a case, each party to the Convention shall choose an arbitrator. If the two arbitrators cannot agree, they shall themselves select a third as resident.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the plenipotentaries have set their hand and seal to the present Convention. Done at place in duplicate this date.

Signature

MR Postal

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