Moldovan PM admits Afghan delegation visit was political mistake

Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan has acknowledged that allowing a delegation from Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture to visit Moldova was a political mistake, despite the visitors not being subject to international sanctions or travel restrictions.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Tofan stressed that Moldova does not recognise Taliban rule and said the visit had been approved due to shortcomings in inter-agency co-ordination and political oversight.

"The Republic of Moldova does not recognise Taliban rule. Approving this visit was a mistake in judgement and in inter-agency co-ordination. The procedure was formally followed, but without the necessary political and diplomatic assessment. Clearly, a sensitive case was treated as a routine administrative matter. The result was an erroneous decision," the Prime Minister said.

According to Tofan, the delegation travelled to Chisinau at the invitation of a Moldovan company seeking to establish agricultural exports to Afghanistan.

He noted that the visiting officials were not included on any sanctions lists, successfully passed all mandatory checks by the relevant Moldovan authorities, and were therefore issued visas in accordance with existing procedures.

Following the incident, Tofan said the government would strengthen its vetting process for similar cases and involve the Information and Security Service in future assessments to ensure greater political and security scrutiny.

By Aghakazim Guliyev