The real problem with the “Sofa Gate”

Robert Tyler | 19th April 2021 | Uncategorised

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a joint press conference with the EU Council President at the end of a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium on March 25, 2021.

The trip was supposed to reignite the spark of a relationship between the EU and Turkey – a relationship that has been strained over the last few years.

Sofagate is all that anyone in Brussels can talk about at the moment. The impromptu game of musical chairs that took place in the Presidential Palace in Ankara has launched a diplomatic spat between the EU and Turkey. However, the real criticism is not that being aimed at Turkey for the protocol snafu, but that being pointed at European Council President Charles Michel. For those not in the know #Sofagate, as it has been dubbed, revolves around the recent visit of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel to Turkey. The trip was supposed to reignite the spark of a relationship between the EU and Turkey – a relationship that has been strained over the last few years. The trip seemed to be going well, until it was time for the photo. All three leaders arrived in the room to discover only two chairs – with Michel lunging for the one next to Erdogan, von der Leyen was relegated to the couch. What seemed like a diplomatic snub sparked a row that resulted...

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