Peter Stano, press secretary to the head of the European Union’s foreign policy service, said that Josep Borrell did not call Russia “a fascist state and a fascist regime”: it was a translator’s mistake.
“We checked. The High Representative didn’t say the words as they sounded in the translation,” he said.
According to the press secretary, Borrell repeated some of the interlocutor’s words word for word, while commenting on the words spoken by another participant in the discussion.
“To be clear, the high representative did not refer to Russia as such, but simply referred to the testimony of one of the deputies who used that phrase,” Stano said.
The spokesperson accurately quoted Borrell’s words: “As one of the lawmakers said, who claimed? [ЕС] to defeat fascist Russia and its fascist regime. I’ve been asked, but it’s not my job. My task is more modest – to help Ukraine together, maintain talks with our international partners and effectively implement sanctions as they are accepted.
how it all started
The scandalous statement was heard as part of a commentary on Borrell’s speech at the European Parliament’s inter-parliamentary conference in Prague. The European diplomat explained to lawmakers the EU’s plans to impose a visa restriction on Russians and tried to justify the effectiveness of the sanctions. In his speech, he also emphasized the importance of the EU to strengthen its cooperation with NATO.
Borrell switched from English to his native Spanish a few hours later to save time. After the broadcast, the official translator was switched and Borrell’s microphone was turned off.
The phrase that came out of the translator’s mouth and was eventually repeated by all the media is as follows: “Until now, we have no specific plan on how to defeat fascist Russia and its fascist regime. I was asked, but it is not my duty…”.
Moscow’s reaction
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov declarationDescribing Russia as a “fascist state”, Borrell completely invalidated himself as a diplomat.
“With such statements, Mr. Borrell completely invalidates himself as a diplomat. “Of course, from now on, none of his judgments on Russia and relations with Russia can be valid,” said Peskov.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova Reacted Borrell’s press secretary made a statement after Borrell said he did not call the Russian Federation a “fascist state”. On his Telegram channel, he noted that the EU foreign policy director should use a similar definition with regard to the US in the background of the recent White House statements regarding the Republican Party: “We should call the US that, because Biden’s press is the Secretary of State. [Карин Жан-Пьер] “American Republicans are fascists,” he declared. Go on, Joseph!”
“Everywhere”
A few years ago, NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg was the victim of a translation error. The translator from English to Polish distorted the words of the Secretary General, causing an international scandal.
In an interview with the channel TVP Information Stoltenberg said the ministerial meeting will decide on the Rapid Reaction Force, but “even before they were created, NATO had a strong army and we are ready to send a rapid reaction force at any time”. The translator finished the phrase with the words: “We can place them anywhere.”
Source: Gazeta
