On August 7, Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MAEIE) announced in a press release that former dignitaries will be deprived of diplomatic passports as they lost the right to hold them. 

The MAEIE explained that it is constantly keeping track of the special identification documents of the national passport system. Following the parliamentary elections of February 24, 2019, it has requested that the  Moldova’s Parliament (the endeavour from March 29, 2019 and April 24, 2019), State Chancellery/ Moldova’s Government (the endeavour from April 22, 2019), Moldova’s Presidential Administration (the endeavour from April 24, 2019) ask for the return of diplomatic and service passports from beneficiaries who have lost the right to hold them.

“In order to avoid the illegal use of special identity documents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent the Ministry of Internal Affairs a list of persons whose special documents have been declared invalid,” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared in a press release. “The list will be included in the information system and available database making it accessible to the competent authorities of foreign states, members of Interpol, Europol, etc.”

According to the press release, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration is notifying the former beneficiaries of special documents that in the event of presenting the mentioned identity documents at the state border crossing points, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will retrieve the documents and send them to MAEIE in order to be eliminated from the national passport system, considering them invalid.” 

On August 3, Border Police chief Rosian Vasiloi, announced that he had found that diplomatic passports are still used by former officials. In this context, he asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration to reassess the status of diplomatic passports.

Nicoleta Braghiș,