Egyptian foreign ministry slams EU council conclusions

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) rejects European Union “interference” in “the management of the transitional phase” in Egypt, it said in a statement issued on Monday.

The MFA commented on conclusions by the EU’s foreign affairs council on Egypt, saying it included both positive and negative points.

The positive aspects, according to the MFA, include the EU council’s reiteration of the strong ties between Egypt and the EU and praised the 2014 constitution and its enshrinement of basic human rights and condemning violence and terrorism.

However, the MFA insisted that EU council’s conclusions “included many negative points” which reflect either the EU’s “lack of knowledge regarding the realities on the ground [in Egypt]”, or their “deliberate disregard of these realities, which – if true – would be a serious indicator that reflects adopting a certain political perspective and not merely supporting issues related to human rights and democracy.”

The MFA statement said: “One of the most serious conclusions [of the EU statement is that] the EU appoints itself as a judge or guardian to assess the political and social developments in Egypt, and thus it interferes in the management of the transitional phase. This is an unacceptable and incorrect approach by the EU, rejected by the Egyptian people who carried out two revolutions to achieve genuine democracy and to be able to determine their future on their own.”

The MFA called on the EU to “respect the aspirations of the Egyptian people and the path they have chosen for themselves.”

The EU council adopted a number of conclusions on Egypt following the foreign affairs council meeting on Monday. It expressed concerns regarding the “deteriorating human rights situation” in Egypt, “the indiscriminate detention of political opposition and activists” and what it referred to as “selective justice”. The council called on the interim authorities to “end politicised arrests as well as the intimidation of and incitement against domestic and foreign journalists.”