EU responsible for 'sofagate,' says Turkey's foreign minister

Photo: EU

The controversial arrangement of seats at the meeting of two top EU officials with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara was made in line with the EU's requests, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was left without a seat and EU Council President Charles Michel and Erdoğan took the only two seats available in the hall at Tuesday's meeting.

Left standing in surprise for a while, von der Leyen eventually settled on an adjacent sofa.

"In the latest bilateral talks, which took place at the presidential complex, the European Union side's requests were fulfilled," Çavuşoğlu told reporters today (April 8). "I would like to state that the EU's requests were satisfied and fulfilled. This was their wish."

Dubbed as the "sofagate," the incident drew criticism from some MEPs.

And no, it wasn’t a coincidence it was deliberate. Why was @eucopresident silent? https://t.co/LvObcyGpmL pic.twitter.com/dLUxuUr5B9

— Sophie in 't Veld (@SophieintVeld) April 6, 2021

Michel defended himself in a Facebook post last night, saying he was "sad" because of the situation von der Leyen found herself in.

"The strict interpretation by the Turkish services of the rules of protocol produced a distressing situation: the differentiated, even reduced, treatment of the President of the European Commission," he said, according to a translation by Euronews.

"I'm sad for two reasons: First, by the impression given that I would have been indifferent to the protocol awkwardness vis-à-vis Ursula. All the more so since I am honoured to participate in this European project, of which two major institutions out of four are headed by women, Ursula von der Leyen and Christine Lagarde.

"Finally, I am saddened, because this situation has overshadowed the major and beneficial geopolitical work that we carried out together in Ankara, and of which I hope that Europe will reap the fruits."

Meanwhile, Minister Çavuşoğlu downplayed the incident and said the relations between Ankara and Bruseels "are on a much more positive track now."

Through our meetings with the delegations of both sides, each clearly stated their opinions about bilateral talks. I would like to state that these meetings have been very beneficial," he said. (VK)