‘Sofa-gate’ Brings More Headaches for EU

The protocol scandal that overshadowed the EU leaders' recent visit to Turkey keeps unfolding, raising questions about Council President Charles Michel's reaction, but also about the EU's consistency in asking Ankara to adhere to the Istanbul Convention.

Turkey on Thursday (8 April) blamed the EU for seating arrangements that left European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen without a chair during a meeting with the Turkish president, as the protocol scandal threatened to bring fresh headaches for the bloc.

The Turkish response came after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his officials were heavily criticised for the snub during the Tuesday meeting with von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel in Ankara.

The room where the three leaders were hosted had only two chairs arranged next to the corresponding EU and Turkish flags. Erdoğan and Michel quickly seated themselves while von der Leyen - whose diplomatic rank is the same as that of the two men - was left standing.

"Erm," she said as she spread her arms in wonder and looked directly at Michel and Erdoğan.

Official images later showed her seated on a sofa opposite Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who said on Thursday that criticism of Turkey for the diplomatic blunder was "unfair".

"The seating arrangements were made in line with the EU suggestion. Period. We would not be revealing this fact had accusations not been made against Turkey," Çavuşoğlu told reporters.

"The demands and suggestions of the EU side were met and the proper protocol applied during the meeting," he added.

'Turkish hospitality'

The diplomatic faux pas was instantly branded "sofa-gate" on Twitter and became the dominant talking point...