2023-07-17 15:11:00
The invitation launched by Pascal Smet (Vooruit) to the mayor of Tehran caused the resignation of the Brussels Secretary of State for international relations. It also almost provoked that of Hadja Lahbib (MR), Minister of Foreign Affairs, who issued the visas to the Iranian delegation. This invitation was launched within the framework of the Brussels Urban Summit, which brought together three international conferences.
“He was lost by his ego”: the Brussels government did nothing to save Pascal Smet; the pressure is now maximum on Hadja Lahbib
This Monday afternoon, in the Finance Committee, Secretary of State Ans Persoons answered questions from MP Clémentine Barzin (MR).
According to the successor to Pascal Smet, the total “provisional” budget of the Brussels Urban Summit which took place in June amounts to 2.163 million euros. These amounts are devoted to logistics, room rental and equipment for such an event. “It’s comparable to what is planned for events of comparable magnitude,” said Ans Persoons. The City of Brussels has also paid for the accommodation of several dozen member cities of the Metropolis network. This was also planned for the mayor of Tehran and the vice mayor of Kazan, but the explosion of the Iranian affair led Pascal Smet’s cabinet to change its tune.
Iranian and Russian mayors were accommodated at NH Collection and Hilton
The Secretary of State also confirmed to Clémentine Barzin that the budget allocated to the French agency Resonance, responsible for selling the image of Brussels internationally, amounts to 600,000 euros per year. The Brussels MP was indeed surprised that the company chosen for the City marketing strategy of Brussels was not… from Brussels.
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