Thread by @joethebrew

Dear Dr. Miro Cerar (@MiroCerar), Slovenian Foreign Minister:

I look forward to your talk next week with Josep Borrell, Spanish Foreign Minister, at @BledStratForum.

And I hope that you or moderator Ali Aslan (@aliHaslan) find the time to ask him some of these 12 questions 👇

1. Does Mr. Borrell feel that his govt, which has had zero conversations with the leaders of Catalonia's pro-independence parties (Junqueras and Puigdemont), is fulfilling its role in heeding your call for "political dialogue"?

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/MiroCerar/status/914465159254614016

2. Does Mr. Borrell believe that it was not a violation of the presumption of innocence when he said (during their trial) that his imprisoned Catalan political rivals "deliberately violated the law".

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1110250144753053696

3. Does Mr. Borrell believe that Catalans are less entitled to self-determination than Slovenians?

Does his government's position on a Catalan independence referendum ("never") foster a political solution, or more instability?

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1119312745869053953

4. Does Mr. Borrell believe that using Foreign Ministry resources to spy on political rivals and EU politicians abroad is appropriate?

Would Slovenia condone such behavior? Would you, as Foreign Minister, engage in such behavior?

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

eldiario.es/politica/Gobie…

5. Does Mr. Borrell believe that it is in line with European values to withdraw the diplomatic credentials of an envoy because of the political statements of an elected representative?

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1099567044935274497

6. Does Mr. Borrell feel that it is appropriate for a Foreign Minister to mock and insult a journalist for asking hard questions?

Do you, @MiroCerar, treat journalists this way?
Are you, @aliHaslan, regularly treated this way by diplomats?

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1111189462388822017

7. What did Mr. Borrell mean when he said that his imprisoned political rock stars, under Franco, would not have been able to "walk around like rock stars"?

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1100476994398101505

8. What is Mr. Borrell's position on the principle of parliamentary immunity?

Specifically in regards to his elected Catalan political rivals being blocked (by his Government) from taking their seats at the EU Parliament.

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/JosepBorrellF/status/1123122204215074816

9. What did Mr. Borrell mean when he said "Independentists think that the nation makes the State. I think the opposite: the State makes the nation. A strong State, which imposes its language, its culture, its education."

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1100466583208632320

10. Does Mr. Borrell feel that his description of the genocide of Native Americans ("all they did was kill 4 Indians") might effect the EU's diplomatic success in areas of the Americas with significant indigenous populations?

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1067430167088230401

11. Why does Mr. Borrell feel the need to defend the actions of the Spanish Judiciary if his branch (the Executive) is truly separate/independent from it?

Independent branches of government generally don't "defend" each other...

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

https://twitter.com/joethebrew/status/1095020685427118084

12. Does Mr. Borrell agree or disagree with Amnesty International that Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez are wrongfully detained by Spain and should be "immediately released"?

@MiroCerar
@aliHaslan

amnesty.org/en/latest/news…