Sofagate: Reactions continue, anger in Turkey over ‘dictator’ Draghi says about Erdogan

The blunder of the meeting of the heads of the two European institutions, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, takes on diplomatic proportions, with the former standing up as no seat has been provided for her.

Turkey summons Italian ambassador to Foreign Ministry following comments by Italian PM Mario Draghi for President Erdogan.

Draghi expressed his opposition to the behavior of the Turkish president, raising his voice and even characterizing him as a dictator.

“We do not share Erdogan’s attitude, it was not the right behavior. I am very sorry that the EU President has suffered. “With these dictators, let’s call them that, we have to be clear: To express our different views but to be able to work together for the benefit of our countries,” said the Italian prime minister.

“We strongly condemn the unacceptable populist rhetoric of the Italian Prime Minister-designate Draghi and the his unacceptable and unjustified statements about our elected president, and we reciprocate them “, Mevlut Tsavousoglou commented on Twitter.

Turkey blames the EU

Earlier, Turkey called the charges against it unfair. Ankara blames the embarrassing – and offensive – moment on the EU, arguing that the seating arrangement was proposed by the European side.

“EU demands have been met. This means that the arrangement of the seats was done at her own request. “Our protocol services met before the summit and their (EU) demands were respected,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu told a news conference. “The accusations against Turkey are unfair.”

He added that Turkey felt compelled to make this clarification about “the accusations it is targeting”.

The president of the European Commission was shocked when the head of the European Council Charles Michel sat on Tuesday in the only seat available next to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential palace.

A video of the episode shows the first female head of the EU executive and the only woman in the conversation standing for a moment, looking at two already seated men, before she too sits on a couch near the main seats.

The video was widely circulated on social media and provoked reactions against Ankara over the protocol, as well as against Michelle for not defending his fellow president.

According to AMPE, Tsavousoglu, who was sitting on the couch opposite Ursula von der Leyen, claimed today that the arrangement of the seats was in accordance with international protocol and that Turkey was accepting “unfair accusations”.

“Turkey is a country with deep roots, this is not the first time it has hosted a guest. The protocol followed for the meetings in Turkey is within the framework of the international protocol. “The same thing happened here,” he told reporters in Ankara.

Reuters notes that there were three seats when, in the past, Erdogan visited Brussels for talks with the heads of the European Commission and the European Council, who jointly represent the 27 member states of the European Union.

Charles Michel explains why he did not react when Ursula von der Layen stood up

The negative comments he received about his stance in Turkey, when President Tayyip Erdogan led him to sit next to him but left Commission President Ursula von der Leyen standing, are given via Facebook by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

“On Tuesday, the Ursula von der Leyen I also attended a meeting in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Some images provoked reactions and some harsh interpretations. This leads me to react.

Our visit marked an important moment in the complex process of improving the European Union’s relations with Turkey. It was the result of careful preparation and diplomatic work carried out for many months to return this country to a more constructive approach in its relationship with the EU, “said Charles Michel, as reported by AMPE.

He adds that “the strict interpretation of the rules of the protocol by the Turkish services caused an unpleasant situation: the different, even derogatory, treatment of the President of the European Commission.

Some pictures that appeared gave the impression that I was unconscious in this state. Nothing is further from reality or from my deepest feelings. Not even from the principles of respect that I find necessary “.

“At that moment, while realizing the sad nature of the situation, we chose not to aggravate it by a public incident, and to use at this beginning of the meeting the essence of the political debate we were about to start, Ursula and I, with the hosts. us “points out the President of the European Council.

Following the message of o Charles Michel “The substance was the speech we made to President Erdogan on the Istanbul Convention, the rights of women and children and, more generally, the defense of our fundamental values ​​of the rule of law and freedom of expression. Prior to the formal meeting, I had met with representatives of UN Women and other UN agencies. “And we wanted to hold a joint press conference with Ursula in Ankara, despite the pressures to the contrary, to make a taboo report of our discussions with the Turkish side.”

“I am sorry for two reasons. First, with the impression that I was indifferent to the awkwardness of the protocol towards Ursula. And even more so because I have the honor of participating in this European project, in which two of the four major institutions are run by women, Ursula von der Leyen and Christine Lagarde. And I am also proud that a woman, the first in history, replaced me as Prime Minister of Belgium.

“Finally, I am sorry, because this situation overshadows the great and beneficial geopolitical work we have done together in Ankara, and I hope that Europe will reap the benefits,” concludes Charles Michel.