SP demands Haxhinasto’s resignation

The Socialist MP, Taulant Balla, denounced the hiring of family members and unqualified personnel in many Albanian diplomatic missions in the world.

“Unfortunately, this is a repeated case, when an embassy vehicle is caught with drugs. As shown yesterday by Top Channel, the ambassador and the Foreign Ministry did not deny the direct accusations of the Czech Chief of Antinarcotics, Jacob Friedrich. This is not the first case. A few years ago, a friend of the Berisha family was caught in Rome as a drug dealer; two years ago, an employee of our embassy was arrested in Istanbul for the same reasons, and there have also been other cases, as my colleague Arta Dade declared before”.

“You all know that the groom of the Parliament Speaker, Jozefina Topalli, who is not here today, has had an excellent diplomatic career. When Topalli’s daughter was studying in Strasbourg, he was working for a diplomatic mission in Strasbourg. When her daughter went to Paris, he was appointed in our embassy in Paris, in a post that requires 10 years of experience by law. Today he is only 26 years old, and he should have started his experience when he was 16”.

Balla also mentioned other names, such as Gjana, Bogdani, Frangaj and Çobaj, and that Jozefina Topalli’s brother has turned from an emigrant to a diplomat.

Based on these facts, the opposition asked the Foreign Minister Haxhinasto to resign.

Haxhinasto: Don’t listen to the media

The Foreign Minister, Edmond Haxhinasto, denied what the Albanians saw on Fiks Fare, and referring to the Albanian official declarations, who did not confirm the declarations of the Czech media, Haxhinasto invited the opposition to not speculate and manipulate the public opinion.

“Democracy does not function based on televisions. The information given by the media has been denied. The Czech Foreign Ministry has not made any objection about the drug traffic. By referring to the media, all you do is damaging the country’s image. As for the appointments, you are invited to verify them at the Ministry. Everyone has been hired in full accordance with the norms”, the Minister declared.

Balla: “Top-Channel” referred to official sources

As response to the Foreign Minister’s declarations, Taulant Balla declared that the Czech Newspaper, “Parlamentarny List”, is an official source, because it refers to the Parliamentary developments and publishes only decisions and events that come out of the Czech Prime Ministry.

“Top Channel had a direct interview with the Chief of the Czech Antinarcotics, and I cannot understand in what bases the Minister does not consider him an official source.”

According to Balla, 100 of 150 diplomatic employees around the world have been appointed by infringing the rules.

“We have a law that says that an ambassador should have more than 21 years of working experience, 11 of which in consulate service. 22 of them do not fulfill these conditions”, Balla declared.

Top Channel