At a press conference following the meeting of the European Union foreign ministers, Joseph Borrell emphasized, among other things: Instead of changing its policy and addressing the legitimate concerns of the European Union, China is once again turning a blind eye to human rights violations.
Despite the response announced by Beijing, the intention of the European Union to protect human rights and respond to gross violations and abuses, wherever they are committed, has not changed.
Borrell said that EU sanctions for gross human rights violations respect “the highest rule of law standards.” he added: The European Union wants China to abandon its oppositional policies and commit to a human rights dialogue.
On Monday, the foreign ministers of the member states of the European Union agreed, among other things, that within the framework of the European Union system of human rights sanctions adopted at the end of last year, It is imposing restrictive measures on four high-ranking Chinese officials responsible for the oppressive treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority. According to human rights groups, Chinese authorities have detained about 1.5 million people belonging to Muslim minorities, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minorities, in re-education camps in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China.
After the European Union measures were adopted, the Beijing government announced sanctions against European Union politicians and institutions. China also called on the European Union to “face the seriousness of its mistake and deal with it,” otherwise it may expect more countermeasures.
The High Representative also spoke at a press conference about the accelerating deterioration of the human rights situation in Russia, in Moscow
It stood in the way of building an inclusive system.
He said all this is increasingly leading to Russia’s removal from the European Union. He stressed that in order to improve the human rights situation, the European Union will continue its efforts so that Russia will fulfill its obligations in this regard.
Borrell also spoke about the issue of tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean in the context of Turkey. The High Representative said that the European Union has seen steps forward since December by Ankara’s leadership to resolve the dispute with Greece and Cyprus. The head of EU diplomacy added, however, that dispute settlement success remains fragile, and the parties must work towards a lasting solution.
