The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, refused to consider the comparison of Europe with a “garden” and the outside world with a “forest” as a form of racism.
In a comment on the official website of the European Union, Borrell tried to clarify that by “jungle” he meant the rise of power politics in the world, noting that “an increase in chaos and lawlessness in this world is what I mean by the word ‘jungle’.”
The head of the EU diplomacy stressed that his mention of “the forest has no racial, cultural or geographical coloring. In fact, unfortunately, the forest is everywhere, including today in Ukraine.”
Borrell apologized to those who interpreted his metaphor as “colonial Eurocentrism”, adding: “I also have enough experience to understand that neither Europe nor the West is perfect, and that some Western countries violate international law from time to time.”
Earlier, during a speech in the Belgian city of Bruges at the opening ceremony of the European Diplomatic Academy, the head of EU diplomacy Borrell said that “privileged” Europe is a “garden” and the world around it is a “forest”. capable of invading the well-established European mechanism.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani criticized Borrell’s description, stressing that “such colonial terms are out of touch with reality as a new multipolar world approaches.”
Reuters also reported that the UAE on Monday summoned the chargé d’affaires of the European Union’s mission to the country and demanded an explanation for the “racist” comments made by the EU diplomat.
Source: RIA Novosti