The Arab country ruled that the statements by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs “contribute to worsening the climate of intolerance and discrimination throughout the world”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) described as racist and discriminatory
the statements of Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, held at the inauguration of the new European Diplomatic Academy in Belgium, reports the Emirati agency WAM.
The The Ministry expressed its disapproval of Borrell’s statements, stressing that these “ contribute to worsening the climate of intolerance and discrimination throughout the world
“. At the same time, the UAE stressed that the comments come at a time when all countries must be aware of “the importance of respect for other religions, cultures, ethnic groups” and values.
The Emirati authorities summoned this Monday the head of the mission of the EU delegation in UAE, demanding an explanation for Borrell’s “hurtful and discriminatory” comments last week.
Addressing students on 13 in October, Borrell compared Europe to a “garden”, describing the rest of the world as a “jungle”. The European diplomat stressed that “the jungle could invade the garden”, for this reason “gardeners must take care of it, but they are not going to protect the garden by building walls”, but rather “ they have to go to the jungle“. “Europeans have to get much more involved with the rest of the world. Otherwise, the rest of the world will invade us, by different ways and means,” he concluded.
At a conference Press release this Monday, Borrell rejected all accusations that his speech was racist or colonialist and said his comments were intended to reject the idea of Europe as a “fortress” and inspire students to engage with the world, reports EFE.
