Borrell says Africans and Balkans "do not know where Donbass is"

By Al Mayadeen English

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell makes arrogant commentary against African and Balkan countries that support Russia.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who called Europe the "garden" amidst the "jungle," said, on Thursday, in another racist comment, that African countries who supported Russia did not know who Vladimir Putin was or where the Donbass was located.

During a session of the EU Parliament's Special Committee on Foreign Interference, Borrell said "Russia is able to deflect blame, twist reality, and find an audience in some parts of world. I have seen in TV screens these young African people on the streets of Bamako [Mali's capital] with billboards saying '[Russian President Vladimir] Putin, thanks. You have saved Donbas and now you will save us.' It is shocking. You can consider that these people do not know where Donbas is or maybe they do not even know who Putin is."

The EU's foreign policy leader also argued that such people existed not only in Africa but also in the Balkans, in nations pursuing EU membership.

Ozlem Demirel, a member of the parliament, promptly slammed Borrell's remarks, calling them arrogant.

"To be honest, what you have said sounds not quite respectful. Such an arrogant tone and lack of respect for Africa have consequences. That is why it is not surprising when Africans are disappointed, nervous and then turn to Russia for help," Demirel said.

As for Russia, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also criticized Borrell and called him "a gardener posing as a high representative of EU foreign affairs" and reminded him of all the times Western leaders clearly lacked geopolitical knowledge.

On her Telegram channel, Zakharova noted: "Josep, don't measure people by yourself. The degradation of the collective West does not mean the same processes in other nations. Let me remind you how the Foreign Minister of Germany thinks that the distance between countries is hundreds of thousands of kilometers, the Prime Minister of Britain does not distinguish the Baltic Sea from the Black Sea, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives praises Wuhan instead of Ukraine, the US President confuses Cambodia with Colombia."