UAE denounces Borrell’s ‘racism’ and rejects politicization of OPEC’s decision to cut production
The UAE on Monday summoned the acting head of the European Union delegation to ask for an explanation of what it described as racist remarks made by the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell last week.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation expressed in a statement Tuesday morning its rejection of Borrell’s remarks, describing them as “racist” and “contributing to the aggravation of intolerance and discrimination on the global level,” the official WAM news agency reported.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Emil Poulsen, the acting head of the EU mission to the UAE, and requested “to provide a written explanation regarding Borrell’s harmful and racist remarks.”
“Borrell’s comments are disappointing and come at a time when all parties recognize the importance of respecting other religions, cultures and ethnic groups, as well as values such as pluralism, coexistence and tolerance,” the statement said.
Speaking at the opening of the new European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium last week, which has since been widely circulated online, Borrell described Europe as a “garden” and much of the world as a “forest” that could “conquer the park”.
“Gardeners should take care of the park, but they will not protect the garden by building walls,” said Borrell, a Spanish politician. A beautiful little garden surrounded by high walls to keep the forest from entering won’t be a solution. “Because the forest has a great potential for growth and the wall will never be high enough.”
The gardeners must go to the forest. Europeans should be more engaged with the rest of the world. Otherwise, the rest of the world will invade us.
At a press conference on Monday, Borrell denied the letter was racist or imperialistic, the AFP news agency reported. He said the statements were aimed at rejecting the idea of “fortress Europe” and encouraging students to engage with the world.
Borrell described the world outside the EU as “jungles,” while saying that the European continent is a “garden.”
Collective decision
As for the UAE’s position on the decision to reduce OPEC’s production, the United Arab Emirates supported the statement of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on reviewing the situation of oil markets and reducing production, noting that “the decision is collective, based on the OPEC’s vote, and within these considerations.”
“The UAE, as a member of the group and a partner of Saudi Arabia, stresses the technical nature of the decision and rejects the statements that push for its politicization,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement.
The UAE also stressed “the need for constructive dialog that serves the interests of all countries”, the ministry said, adding that the UAE stands fully with Saudi Arabia “in its efforts to support the stability and security of energy, in a way that benefits producers and consumers, and promotes economic growth and development in the world”.
Today, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazroui said that his country aims to produce the cleanest oil barrel on the planet. Our commitment to increasing our productive capacity was in place. “We are investing to increase production to 5 million B/E by 2030.
Suhail al-Mazroui refused to politicize OPEC’s decision, saying, “We believe in the professionalism of OPEC and its allies, which is a purely technical organization.” He stressed that “nothing political is related to any decisions we make in OPEC.” He said that decisions are always taken unanimously, and the last decision was made in this manner.
Al Mazroui stressed the importance of stability and said, “Instability pushes investors not to invest.” “The decision we made is to stabilize prices, not just increase prices,” he added.
Concern was expressed that the productive capacity of many States was declining owing to a lack of investment.
Saudi Arabia and Russia are leading an OPEC-Plus alliance that recently agreed to cut oil production by two million barrels a day from next month. The administration has been highly critical of the cuts, which it says will increase Russia’s resources and reduce the effectiveness of sanctions imposed over its war with Ukraine.
“There will be consequences for Saudi Arabia for what Russia has done,” US President Joe Biden said recently.
The UAE affirms its full support for Saudi Arabia in its efforts to promote energy stability and security, the official WAM news agency reported Monday, citing a Foreign Ministry statement.
The UAE supports the Saudi Foreign Ministry’s statement regarding OPEC’s latest decision and rejects the statements that push for politicizing the decision, WAM said.
Saudi Arabia won the solidarity of more Arab countries in the face of American accusations and warnings, against the backdrop of Riyadh’s support for OPEC’s decision to reduce crude oil production.
U.S. officials accused Saudi Arabia of supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for sanctions, while U.S. President Joe Biden warned the kingdom of “consequences” for its support of oil production cuts.
Riyadh, through statements and press statements, rejected the US accusations and criticized the policy of “dictates”, stressing that the decision is “purely economic” to control the markets, stressing that it has nothing to do with politics.
On Sunday evening, UAE Minister of Energy Suhail Al Mazroui tweeted, “I confirm that OPEC’s decision to cut production was a purely technical and unanimous decision and not a political decision as some are trying to describe it.”
