“It is appropriate for the High Representative to meet with his counterparts from around the world” said the Representative of the Commission, responsible for Foreign Affairs, Peter Stanoasked about whether it is right for Josep Borrell to visit Morocco while the case of the corruption scandal in the European Parliament is ongoing and in which Morocco is also allegedly involved.
Peter Stano noted, as reported by APE-MPE, that there are a number of issues on the agenda with third countries, saying that theMorocco is an “important partner country” and spoke of cooperation on matters of mutual interest, but also of raising issues of concern from both sides.
“This is a normal, integral part of the High Representative’s work. Let’s not forget that there are accusations at this point, there is no proof” he noted, adding that “officially no one has said from a judicial point of view that Morocco as a country is guilty and should be avoided in terms of international contacts.”
Peter Stano also added that “just around this time, the High Representative met the Foreign Minister of Qatar just before Christmas when he was in Jordan to discuss issues that we need to work on and of course, issues that they have some worries. We’re always very transparent about those, we announce those visits, those meetings and then we’re happy to provide information from those meetings when they happen. But again there are a number of issues that we need to discuss with the partners.” At the same time, when asked whether he will raise the issue of corruption in the European Parliament to his Moroccan counterparts, the Representative noted that “it is a very serious issue, it needs an investigation, the investigation is ongoing, it is in the hands of the Belgian authorities”.
“We, as the biggest defenders of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, fully trust the Belgian investigators and when we have the results of the investigation, the verdicts and the necessary evidence, we will act accordingly,” he noted.
Source: News Beast
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