The European Union's influence on the African continent, especially in North Africa, is visibly weakening, with its place being taken by Russia, Turkey, and a number of other countries, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
"We should be worried about what’s happening in Africa. When I first came to Brussels, the French and Italians were in Libya. They weren’t always in harmony, but they were present. Today, there are no Europeans left in Libya – only Turks and Russians," EUobserver quoted the diplomat as saying.
Borrell criticized the decline of the EU's influence in Africa, noting that there is no longer "the order" on the African coast of the Mediterranean that the Europeans tried to establish.
The portal noted that Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Russia have "intensified their work" in the economic and political sphere with North African countries and other states of the continent. According to the top diplomat, the EU should counter their influence.