The European Parliament on Thursday voted to downgrade its attendance
at the November G20 summit in Saudi Arabia over human rights concerns,
and to urge for sanctions.
The bill is one of the strongest
political messages the institution has ever issued on Saudi Arabia and
comes on the two-year anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal
Khashoggi.
MEPs approved a wide-ranging resolution that condemns
Saudi human rights abuses and urges the European Union to downgrade its
representation at the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit to avoid legitimizing human rights violations.
Belgian
MEP and vice chair of the delegation for the relations with Arab
Peninsula Marc Tarabella said: "We are all aware of the importance of
Saudi Arabia as a partner of the European Union and for the stability of
the Middle East. However, this must not be an alibi for violating human
rights."
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European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 Summit | News | DW | 08.10.2020