EU still stands by the people of Egypt, says Catherine Ashton

The EU still stands by the people of Egypt, affirmed High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton during a Wednesday session of European parliament.

Ashton noted in her address that she had visited Egypt 11 times, three of which this summer, and during her most recent visit, she had visited ousted president Mohamed Morsi in an undisclosed location – the only foreign representative to do so.

The high representative said that “four principles” had been outlined to “those in power” in Egypt, saying that while the EU does not take sides in the choices of Egypt’s people, they do “believe in a constitution that will support democracy, rule of law, justice, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The EU foreign policy head meanwhile described the growing level of violence and the polarisation of Egyptian people as alarming. During her visit, Ashton said, she could “feel the antipathy to the Brotherhood and could see the growing numbers of people on the streets, the growing worries of religious groups – the Christian community who later saw many churches destroyed.”

The statement comes during the plenary session of the EU parliament in Strasbourg where the situation in Egypt and Syria were the main points of the agenda.