EU reconsidering relations with Egypt

EU countries are meeting to discuss their positions towards Egypt and reassess their relations after the continuous bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Foreign ministers of the EU were called to Brussels to hold an emergency crisis meeting to assess the relations of their countries with Egypt if the on-going turmoil continued.

In a joint statement, heads of the EU Council and European Commission warned that further escalations would lead to “unexpected consequences” in Egypt and the whole region. They blamed the army and the coup government for the chaos and called for them to regain calm in the country.

José Manuel Barroso and Herman van Rompuy said in the statement, “Recent developments in Egypt, and more particularly the violence of the last few days, are extremely worrying. We are distressed at the loss of lives and we offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims.”

“The violence and the killings of these last days cannot be justified nor condoned. Human rights must be respected and upheld. Political prisoners should be released. It is crucial that violence ends immediately.

“In cooperation with its international and regional partners, the EU will remain firmly engaged in efforts to promote an end to violence, resumption of political dialogue and return to a democratic process.

“To this effect, together with its member states, the EU will urgently review, in the coming days, its relations with Egypt and adopt measures aimed at pursuing these goals”.