A scandal erupted in the public space after former Prime Minister Victor Ponta claimed that his daughter, Irina Ponta, who was in Oman, would not have been allowed to board a plane repatriating Romanian citizens from Dubai. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects the allegations and states that decisions on repatriation are made on the basis of objective criteria, not political considerations.
The controversy arises in the context of the repatriation operations organized by the Romanian authorities for citizens in the Middle East, against the background of the deterioration of the security situation in the region.
Ponta: “The minister called not to let her on the plane”
Victor Ponta stated that his daughter, who was in a camp in Oman, was not allowed to board the plane that was transporting Romanians to Bucharest.
The former prime minister claims that the decision was taken at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Yes, it’s true. Mrs. Țoiu kicked her off the plane that was bringing Romanians. She personally called the consul in Dubai not to let her get on the plane to Bucharest, even though she is a minor and she is alone there. Now she is alone in Dubai and we are looking to find a place on a flight for her to come to Europe,” declared Victor Ponta.
According to reports, the daughter of the former prime minister was in a camp in Oman and could not have been brought to Romania together with the other children.
MAE: “No priorities are set based on political criteria”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Țoiu, rejected the accusations and stated that the priorities for repatriation are established on clear criteria.
“We do not make individual decisions regarding the political affiliation of a child’s parents, neither as prioritization nor as deprioritization,” she said in a press conference held at the MFA headquarters.
The minister explained that the repatriation of children is based on objective criteria, such as medical cases or the situation of groups of students on organized trips.
“We will consider babies, preschool or school-age children a higher priority than children who are close to adult age,” said Toiu.
She also stated that the authorities are faced with numerous requests from parents asking for exceptions for their children.
“Ministers do not set a first and last name. I will not comment on the case of any minor. The criteria have been set transparently and communicated publicly,” the minister added.
The reaction of the Romanian consul in Dubai
The Consul General of Romania in Dubai, Viorel Richard Badea, told the press that he was not aware of the reported situation.
“Honestly, I don’t know, because I was on the phone with a lot of Romanians who had various problems. I know absolutely nothing about this situation,” said the consul.
He stated that he would still try to clarify the case after learning about it from the press.
Ponta’s daughter later arrived in Romania
After the scandal that broke out in the public space, the daughter of the former prime minister managed to arrive in Romania on March 6, with a commercial plane.
The information was confirmed by both Victor Ponta and Daciana Sârbu, the mother of the teenager.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who offered me help. Thanks to you today I held my child in my arms. Thank you for your messages of encouragement and for the good thoughts that made me feel less alone,” wrote Daciana Sârbu in a post on Facebook.
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