Sofagate

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The media refer to an incident during the visit of a high-level delegation from the European Union to Turkey on April 6, 2021, which led to diplomatic resentment, as the Sofagate . "Sofagate" is a suitcase word from " sofa " and "Watergate", alluding to the Watergate affair as a prototype for a political scandal.

Events and background

The occasion of the state visit to the presidential palace in Ankara was in particular talks about an extension of the refugee agreement between the EU and Turkey. In addition, closer cooperation in business and trade (especially in the customs union ) and in climate protection as well as civil society exchange were on the agenda. Controversial issues such as Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention , which is supposed to protect women from violence, the human rights situation in general and the border conflict between Turkey and Greece and Cyprus were also discussed by the EU.

An official photo should be taken at the press meeting at the beginning of the talks. However, the Turkish government stipulated that this should only show the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the President of the European Union Charles Michel , but not the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen . So there were only two chairs available. Von der Leyen was apparently surprised by the situation and, like the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, had to take a seat on a sofa further away .

Interpretations

Turkey later explained the incident by stating that the President of the Council is considered to be the head of state in terms of protocol and is therefore of higher rank than the Commission President, who is treated as the head of government (see Protocol order of precedence in the European Union ).

Some media and politicians, however, interpreted the procedure as an act of misogyny and pointed out that on earlier, similar occasions, both representatives of the EU had been treated equally. Turkey considers the sexism allegations to be unjustified.

The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who was sitting on the sofa across from von der Leyen, said: “The presidency protocol met the demands of the EU. In other words, the seating arrangements were designed to meet their demands and suggestions. ”Turkish officials stated that the seating arrangements had been made in accordance with prior arrangements made with Charles Michel's staff.

Former Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that he too had sometimes received the same treatment. "It was clear to everyone that from a protocol point of view, the President of the Council was number one," said Jean-Claude Juncker of the weekly Politico Europe . "I usually had a chair next to the President's chair, but sometimes I sat on a sofa."

Reactions in EU politics

Social-democratic and left-wing members of the European Parliament demanded Charles Michel's resignation because he was alleged to have taken the provocation of the Turkish government in silence. The social and Christian democratic groups then convened a current hour on the subject. Michel himself described the situation in retrospect as "unfortunate" and that if he could, he would go back and "fix the matter". But at the same time he emphasized:

"My fear was that if I had reacted in any way, I would have triggered a much more serious incident."

- Charles Michel

According to the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen stated in an interview with Michel that “she will not allow such a situation again”. She sent a list of five points that should prevent similar situations in the future. The European Council, on the other hand, sees “a number of conditions” in the list that are intended to “weaken the European Council”. On April 26, von der Leyen gave a speech in the EU Parliament. There she said, “I felt hurt and left alone. As a woman and as a European. "

“I cannot find an explanation for my treatment in the European Treaties. So I have to conclude that I was treated this way because I am a woman. "

- Ursula von der Leyen

The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi described the Turkish President as a “dictator” on the occasion of the incident, whereupon the Turkish government summoned the Italian ambassador .

Web link

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Fabian Weber: Von der Leyen in Turkey: "We strive for an honest partnership". European Commission , April 7, 2021, accessed April 27, 2021 .
  2. ↑ Just a sofa for von der Leyen. In: FAZ.net . April 7, 2021, accessed April 9, 2021 .
  3. ↑ Don't they have anything else to do? In: FAZ.net . April 8, 2021, accessed April 10, 2021 .
  4. ↑ EU Parliament wants to clear up the "SofaGate" incident during Erdoğan's visit. In: zeit.de . April 8, 2021, accessed April 9, 2021 .
  5. ↑ Turkey blames EU in 'sofagate' diplomatic late. In: bbc.com . April 8, 2021, accessed April 27, 2021 .
  6. ↑ Italy's head of government Draghi insults Erdogan as a dictator. In: dw.com . April 9, 2021, accessed April 27, 2021 .
  7. ↑ Why didn't Michel resolve the embarrassing scene? In: blick.ch . April 10, 2021, accessed April 28, 2021 .
  8. ↑ Juncker tries to take the sting out of Sofagate. In: politico.eu . April 7, 2021, accessed April 27, 2021 .
  9. ↑ Von der Leyen shouldn't be on the photo at first. In: FAZ.net . April 8, 2021, accessed April 9, 2021 .
  10. ↑ Charles Michel's view of the "Sofagate". In: FAZ.net . April 9, 2021, accessed April 10, 2021 .
  11. ↑ Erdogan's “SofaGate”: The video shows von der Leyen's confused reaction to the seating arrangement - Michel's conscience plagues. In: merkur.de . April 10, 2021, accessed April 27, 2021 .
  12. ↑ Von der Leyen draws conclusions from “Sofagate”. In: n-tv.de . April 13, 2021, accessed April 15, 2021 .
  13. ↑ Matthias Kolb: Von der Leyen zu Sofagate: "I felt hurt and left alone". In: sueddeutsche.de . April 26, 2021, accessed April 27, 2021 .
  14. ↑ Helga Schmidt: “Sofagate” at the EU-Turkey meeting: Von der Leyen felt degraded. In: tagesschau.de . April 27, 2021, accessed April 28, 2021 .
  15. ↑ Draghi calls Erdoğan "dictator". In: taz.de . April 9, 2021, accessed April 10, 2021 .