PM calls Taliban delegation's arrival in Moldova “an error of assessment”
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan describes the situation regarding the visit of a delegation from Afghanistan to the Republic of Moldova as "embarrassing and unacceptable." He states that its approval was "an error of evaluation and institutional coordination."
In a message shared on social media, the Head of Government stated that the Republic of Moldova does not recognize the Taliban regime. The Afghan delegation's visit was permitted only after an administrative review that did not sufficiently assess the political and diplomatic implications.
The Prime Minister explained that the request for the delegation's visit came from a Moldovan company, which has ongoing deliveries to Uzbekistan and is interested in expanding its agricultural exports to Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry forwarded this request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the General Inspectorate for Migration (IGM), and the Border Police. It was determined that the individuals involved were not under European Union sanctions. As a result, the IGM issued a positive opinion, and the MFA granted the necessary visas.
The Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) was not consulted during this process, as there was no requirement for them to be involved under existing procedures.
“The procedure was followed formally, but without the necessary political and diplomatic assessment. An obviously sensitive case was treated as a routine administrative file, resulting in an incorrect decision,” the Prime Minister stated.
The head of the Executive emphasized that authorities must change their decision-making process to consider the broader context, rather than just adhering to bureaucratic steps.
“State mechanisms cannot be reduced to merely ticking off stages. Institutions must understand the context, risks, and consequences of the decisions they make,” Tofan said.
Regarding the resignation requests, the Prime Minister indicated that the priority is to review the procedures.
“I understand the public pressure for resignations. The easy way out is to identify a scapegoat and consider the matter resolved. The responsible approach is to establish accountability clearly and to correct the mechanisms that allowed this situation to arise. This requires clearer rules and mandatory coordination at the political and diplomatic levels,” he declared.
Vasile Tofan also announced that the authorities will review the SIS consultation mechanism in such situations and called for accountability among officials who make decisions.
“All decision-makers in public institutions must understand their individual role when they sign a document or approve a decision. We do not simply manage paperwork; we manage a country, and we must be more diligent when making decisions,” the Prime Minister concluded.
On Monday, August 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed that a delegation from Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture has been granted entry visas to the Republic of Moldova. However, they emphasized that the authorities will not hold any official meetings with this delegation.
In light of the information regarding the visit, the Government has initiated an internal verification process.
