The Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, conveyed this Monday to the United States Ambassador to Belgium, Bill White, whom he had already summoned last Friday after calling the Minister of Health, Frank Vandenbroucke, a "loser," that any new public remarks against political leaders of the country will be "counterproductive" and could lead to an "unnecessary escalation" between both States.
"Any new provocation would be counterproductive and could lead to an unnecessary escalation in bilateral relations. Belgium's sovereignty must be fully respected, also in the application of its policies," the minister communicated to White, according to a statement from the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
The head of Belgian diplomacy has expressed his "disapproval" of these mockeries and has emphasized that this type of manifestation by an accredited ambassador in Belgium "cannot be tolerated," stressing that it would also not be allowed from a Belgian representative in Washington if it were directed in the same terms to American leaders.
Furthermore, he has pointed out to White that the role of an ambassador is governed by "established diplomatic norms and practices," among which are "mutual respect" and non-interference in internal affairs, and he has asked him to refrain from launching new personal attacks against Belgian officials to safeguard the "historic and prosperous" relationship between both countries.
"Countries may disagree, sometimes deeply. Diplomacy is precisely about addressing those differences frankly through the appropriate channels, not about giving public lessons or intervening in internal political debate," the document reads.
Last Friday, Prévot summoned the American ambassador for consultations after he disseminated on social media an image, apparently created with Artificial Intelligence, in which he labeled the Minister of Health as a "loser," representing him on a box of cigars, accompanied by an additional message that criticized his policy of tightening health warnings in the advertising of alcoholic beverages.