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EU foreign policy chief issues apology after UAE’s criticism, denies his comments were racist

Josep Borrell apologises for 'any offence caused' by his remarks, which prompted UAE to summon acting head of the mission at the EU delegation

Published: Wed 19 Oct 2022, 2:12 AM

Updated: Wed 19 Oct 2022, 2:13 AM

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  • Reuters

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European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. — Reuters file

European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. — Reuters file

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday denied that comments he made last week were racist and apologised for any offence caused by the remarks that had prompted criticism from the UAE.

The UAE on Monday summoned the acting head of the mission at the EU delegation to the UAE, asking for explanation of racist comments made by Borrell.

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In his remarks at the new European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium, which have been widely circulated online, Borrell called Europe “a garden” and most of the world a “jungle” that “could invade the garden”.

In a blog post published late on Tuesday, Borrell said his reference to a “jungle” referred to increasing examples of countries using force, intimidation and blackmail — behaviour at odds with agreed international norms.

“The growth of this lawless world and disorder is what I meant when talking about the ‘jungle’. My reference to ‘jungle’ has no racist, cultural or geographical connotation. Indeed and unfortunately, the ‘jungle’ is everywhere, including in Ukraine. We must take this trend seriously and that was my message to the students,” he said.

“I am sorry if some have felt offended,” he said, adding that he felt Europe was often too Euro-centric and needed to get to know the rest of the world better.

The UAE foreign ministry had said the remarks were “inappropriate and discriminatory” and “contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination worldwide,” UAE’s state news agency reported.



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