The United Arab Emirates on Monday accused the head of the European Union's foreign policy department, Josep Borrell, of racist remarks and summoned the head of the EU delegation to the UAE. This was reported by Politico.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Borrell's controversial remarks, in which he compared Europe to a garden and the rest of the world to a jungle. Abu Dhabi said his remarks were "inappropriate and discriminatory" and "contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination around the world."
The UAE demanded a written explanation of Borrell's comments and summoned Emil Paulsen, acting head of the EU delegation to the UAE.
In a controversial speech to future diplomats at the opening of the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges last week, Borrell said: "Yes, Europe is a garden, we have built a garden. Everything is working," referring to the continent's political freedom, economic prosperity and social cohesion.
Then he continued, "Most of the rest of the world is jungle, and the jungle can invade the garden." However, Borrell emphasized that instead of building a wall, diplomats should "go into the jungle."
The remarks drew criticism from politicians around the world, with Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, calling Borel's words a "terrible analogy."
Borrell on Monday denied that his words were racist or colonialist, saying he intended to reject the idea of "fortress Europe" and encourage students to engage with the world.
