The Belgian Mobility Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) has criticised Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) for granting "visas like they’re chocolates" to an Iranian and Russian delegation attending the Brussels Urban Summit.
The case has already led to the resignation of Brussels’ Secretary of State Pascal Smet (Vooruit) who orchestrated both controversial countries’ presence at the summit.
It has since emerged that Lahbib had not only approved the invitations in a phone call with Smet but had also personally signed off on granting visas to both delegations.
Amidst growing calls from opposition parties for Lahbib to step aside, criticism is bubbling among Lahbib's partners in government. Deputy PM Georges Gilkinet (Francophone green party Ecolo) told LN24 television channel that "(Lahbib’s party) MR is trying to blame the regional government."
Yet Gilkinet points out that visas can only be approved at the federal level, putting the blame squarely on Lahbib's office. "Normally, we trust each other among our colleagues in government. But in this case, there are still some questions," Gilkinet cautioned.
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The issue has split the government along its ideological lines, with the liberal parties MR and Open VLD defending Lahbib while the green and socialist forces have been less forgiving.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) took to the Foreign Minister's defence on Monday, saying that she was coerced into granting the visas by the Brussels government.
As things stand currently, few within the government expect the minister to resign. But so long as she remains, the affair risks becoming a stick with which to beat the Federal Government, potentially leaving Lahbib no option but to step aside.
Were this to happen, there is a high chance that the Federal Government would collapse. This is due to the MR party leader Georges-Louis Bouchez’s steadfast defence of Lahbib. Her dismissal could result in him pulling his party’s support of the government.
