While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may not have been the instigator of the so-called Sofagate controversy during which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was left without a chair during a meeting in Ankara, he willingly allowed it to happen, Italian lawmaker Guglielmo Picchi told Sputnik on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th April, 2021) While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may not have been the instigator of the so-called Sofagate controversy during which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was left without a chair during a meeting in Ankara, he willingly allowed it to happen, Italian lawmaker Guglielmo Picchi told Sputnik on Friday.
On Tuesday, von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel held a meeting with Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. As there were only two chairs in the room, von der Leyen stood awkwardly while the rest were seated and then retreated to a sofa opposite the top Turkish diplomat, who has a lower rank under the diplomatic protocol. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has called the Turkish leader a dictator over his "inappropriate behavior." Cavusoglu, in turn, slammed Draghi's remarks as "unacceptable populist rhetoric."
"The truth is that Erdogan enjoyed big time the show and allowed this to happen," the former Italian deputy foreign minister said.
Picchi also noted that while the EU delegation failed to properly prepare for the high-profile meeting, the Turkish side may have intentionally overlooked the protocol error.
"EU protocol people are unfit for the job and should resign while Turkish protocol people understood the situation but willingly took advantage of it," the lawmaker stressed.
The politician further criticized Michel for not offering von der Leyen his seat, alleging him in faux feminism and populism.
"Michel made it clear that 'women first' is just words and propaganda by not leaving his chair," Picchi noted.
On Wednesday, Former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tried to soft-pedal the diplomatic spat, stating that during his presidency, it was assumed by many that the position of the Council president ranked higher than that of the Commission president. Juncker, however, suggested that von der Leyen should have been treated differently.
