page_title: International reactions to the Egyptian revolution of 2011
section_title: Europe
hierarchical_section_title: International reactions to the Egyptian revolution of 2011 / Europe
caption_attribution_description: Concentración Embajada Egipto. Madrid
context_page_description: International reactions to the Egyptian revolution of 2011 refer to external responses to the events that took place in Egypt between 25 January and 10 February 2011, as well as some of the events after the collapse of the government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, such as Mubarak's trial. The reactions have generally been either measured or supportive of the Egyptian people, with most governments and organisations calling for non-violent responses on both sides and peaceful moves towards reform. Whilst the protesters called for Mubarak to step down immediately, most foreign governments stopped short of this demand, at least during the early phases of the protests, due to realpolitik concerns about the consequences of a power vacuum on the stability of Egypt specifically and to the wider Middle East as a whole. Some Middle Eastern leaders expressed support for Mubarak. Meanwhile many governments issued travel advisories and evacuated their citizens from the country.
context_section_description:  Austria — On 3 February Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger condemned the violence. "It is more necessary than ever for talks to be started without delay between the opposition and the government in order to prevent the situation from getting further out of control. This also entails calling those responsible for acts of violence to account, and swiftly."
   Belarus — Belarusian Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Andrei Savinykh declared: "We are convinced that street clashes and violence is a bad way to solve pressing social and community issues. We urge the parties to solve existing problems peacefully in line with international legal norms [at] a negotiating table."
   Belgium — In a statement released on 27 January, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere and Minister of Civil Service, Public Enterprises and Institutional Reforms deplored the deaths. He hopes that the protest will strengthen the process of democratisation and socio-economic reform in Egypt. He pointed out the importance of freedom of speech and media.
   Bulgaria — The Foreign Ministry condemned the violent response to the protests, and expressed condolences for the deaths.
   Croatia — Mario Dragun, spokesman of the Croatian Foreign Ministry, said: "We hope that the violence will cease and democratic dialogue will ensue so that the crisis could be resolved and the political, economic and social reforms carried out with full respect for the basic human."
   Denmark — Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the protesters brave, and urged Mubarak to leave as quickly as possible. Minister for Foreign Affairs Lene Espersen strongly condemned the alleged Egyptian authorities' actions against the protests.
  Danish-Palestinian politician Naser Khader urged Mubarak to resign.
   Estonia — Minister for Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet said, "It is vitally important that the Egyptian authorities and protestors avoid the use of violence." Estonia urged their citizens in Egypt to leave the country.
   Finland — Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb called his counterpart Foreign Minister of Egypt Ahmed Aboul Gheit to express Finland's strong hopes that the conflict would be resolved peacefully. In a statement on the Finnish foreign ministry's website Stubb said, "Everyone should now strive to steady the situation quickly so that there would be no further fatalities or injuries. Finland condemns the use of force." He expressed concern over the blocking of communications.
   France — Prime Minister Francois Fillon's office said that France would be ceasing arms and tear gas sales to Egypt. Controversy arose over Fillon's links to the Mubarak regime, as he admitted having been a guest of Mubarak over the Christmas holiday at Egypt's expense. President Nicolas Sarkozy responded to the allegations by telling his ministers to take their holidays in France more often, saying "What was commonplace a few years back can prove shocking nowadays."
   Germany — Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was "very concerned" and called on all involved to show restraint. Later Angela Merkel called upon all involved, and especially the Egyptian government and the president, to allow peaceful demonstrations, to give freedom of opinion a chance. "We have to come to a peaceful dialogue in Egypt because the stability of the country is of extraordinary importance."
   Greece — The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on 30 January that it plans to evacuate its citizens from Egypt.
   Italy — Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that he hoped for "continuity in the government" as Western leaders wanted a "more democratic system without ruptures with a president like Mubarak that all the Western hemisphere, including the U.S., had considered the wisest man and a reference point in all of the Middle East." He played down the scale of the protests by saying that there were "really few" demonstrators out of a population of 80 million.
  The Foreign Ministry gave a statement where they expressed deep regret over the civilian casualties. They urged the immediate cessation o
caption: Solidarity protest at the Egyptian embassy in Madrid, 30 January
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