“This attitude towards me was because I was a woman.” Ursula von der Leyen on the “sofagate” scandal

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commented for the first time yesterday on the ugly diplomatic incident in Ankara on April 6, which was called sofagate in the world political arena. Speaking from the rostrum of the European Parliament, she said that she felt offended as a European woman, because what she believed was not a matter of procedure, but an attitude towards the values of the European Union.

It should be reminded that during the talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and two equal leaders of the European Union in Ankara, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was not given a seat. Erdogan and EU Council President Charles Michel sat in two armchairs next to each other for talks, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stood for a while and then had to sit on a sofa a little further away. In front of her, on another sofa, sat Turkish Foreign Minister Mlut Cavusoglu, who holds a much lower position than the President of the European Commission.

Speaking at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday, Ursula von der Leyen, referring to the incident, admitted that she was deeply saddened by the humiliating and insulting episode at the Turkish president’s residence, RFE / RL reports.

“I am the first woman president of the European Commission. I expected an adequate reception in Turkey, but that was not the case. There is no justification for such treatment in any European treaty. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I was treated like this because I was a woman. “Such a thing would have happened if I had been in a suit and tie. I have noticed a lot of armchairs in many old photos of that hall. It is true that no women were depicted in those pictures,” von de Layen said.

A few days before the incident, Erdogan issued a decree withdrawing Turkey from the Istanbul Convention, which was severely criticized by all European political, state and human rights organizations. Protests took place in Turkey, mainly in big cities.

Official Ankara, the Presidential Administration and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claim that the ceremony of receiving Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel was allegedly agreed with Brussels, and the rumors spread by Europeans about humiliating high-ranking guests at the Presidential Palace are just plain rumors.

As for the armchair incident, I have already spoken publicly, I have apologized to the commission, to all those who felt offended, the reason is known: the European Council protocol team was not allowed to enter the meeting room, “Ursula von der Leyen and I will do our best to prevent such a thing from happening in the future. We have given appropriate instructions to our group of diplomats,” said Charles Michel.

62-year-old Ursula von der Leyen, educated in German-British universities, economist and doctor by profession,  former Minister of Youth and Family Affairs in Germany, then Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, and then Minister of Defense, a mother of seven, takes a more general look at the unpleasant incident:

Speaking in the European Parliament yesterday, she stressed that women should defend their rights, noting that she, as a high-ranking official, has great leverage, can complain loudly, and what should millions of women living in the four corners of the world do? Those who are silent do not have an instance from which they can ask for help.

“Honorable deputies, many of you, especially the women represented in this authoritative house, have experienced such moments in the past, I am sure you know how I felt. I was offended and alone, as a woman and European  and  this is not a matter of the ritual of accommodating the guests, this is a matter of our essence, this is a matter of the values ​​defended by our union and it shows how far we still have to go to ensure equal rights for women everywhere forever” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the European Parliament yesterday.

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