‘Sofagate’ statement by von der Leyen: I felt hurt and left alone

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has made a statement about her and European Council President Charles Michel's visit to Turkey's President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential complex.

Ursula von der Leyen was not given an equal seat with Michel and Erdoğan at the meeting in early April; instead, she was offered a sofa across Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, which has come to be known as the "Sofagate", especially on social media.

As reported by BBC International, in a speech yesterday (April 26), Ursula von der Leyen has not publicly blamed either President Erdoğan or Charles Michel for the incident, but acknowledged that she felt "hurt and left alone" as "a woman and as a European".

"Because this is not about seating arrangements or protocol. This goes to the core of who we are. This goes to the values ​​our Union stands for. And this shows how far we still have to go before women are treated as equals," the European Commission President has said."

"I am the first woman to be President of the European Commission. I am the President of the European Commission. And this is how I expected to be treated when visiting Turkey two weeks ago, like a Commission President, but I was not," von der Leyen has told the EU lawmakers, adding:

"I cannot find any justification for the way I was treated in the European Treaties. So, I have to conclude, it happened because I am a woman. Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and a tie? In the pictures of previous meetings, I did not see any shortage of chairs. But then again, I did not see any woman in these pictures, either."

'There are so many stories of women'

In a statement on Twitter, she has also said:

"My visit to Turkey showed how far we still have to go before women are treated as equals. Always. Everywhere. My story made headlines. But there are so many stories of women, most of them far more serious, that go unobserved. We have to make sure these stories are also told!

"In Ankara I reiterated my deep concerns about Turkey withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention. This is a terrible signal. Yet to be credible we also have to act at home. Several EU countries have still not ratified it. Some are thinking of quitting. This is not acceptable."

My visit to Turkey showed how far we still have to go before women are treated as equals. Always. Everywhere.

My story made headlines. But there are so many stories of women, most of them far more serious, that go unobserved.

We have to make sure these stories are also told!

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 26, 2021

What happened?

Sergey Lagodinsky, the Chair of the Delegation to the European Union (EU) - Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, drew attention to the fact that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was not given an equal seat during her and European Council President Charles Michel's visit to ruling AKP Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In a video shared by Lagodinsky on Twitter shortly after the meeting at the Presidency on April 6, 2021, it was seen that Erdoğan and Michel sat on two equal seats across each other while von der Leyen remained standing for some time, to which she responded with "Ehm."

Lagodinsky has said, "'Ehm' is the new term for 'that's not how EU-Turkey relationship should be'. #GiveHerASeat #EU #Turkey #womensrights"

"Ehm" is the new term for "that's not how EU-Turkey relationship should be". #GiveHerASeat #EU #Turkey #womensrights pic.twitter.com/vGVFutDu0S

— Sergey Lagodinsky (@SLagodinsky) April 6, 2021

Von der Leyen's spokesperson Eric Mamer said, "President (von der Leyen) should have been seated in exactly the same manner as the president of the European Council and the Turkish president."

Sophie in 't Veld, a member of the European Parliament, also tweeted previous pictures where Erdoğan was seen to be hosting European Council and European Commission Presidents on equal seats. "And no, it wasn't a coincidence it was deliberate," she commented.

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, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, making a statement about the issue later.

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