10 Feb, 2021

‘Bad image for EU diplomacy’, says ALDE President on Borrell’s Moscow visit

On Tuesday 9 February, the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs questioned the EU High Representative Josep Borrell after he visited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a week before.

During their meeting in Moscow, the Kremlin announced its decision to expel three EU diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany for purportedly participating in “illegal protests” to support Alexei Navalny who was imprisoned on 23 January. All three governments deny these allegations.

ALDE President Hans van Baalen criticises the poor intervention by the High Representative Borrell in Russia. President van Baalen considers the visit as a missed opportunity to show European support to Navalny and the Russian opposition.

After several interventions by members of the Renew Europe Group, the EU High Representative was still convinced of the importance his trip.

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