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Snub in EU-Turkey meeting

highlights gender equality issue
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A video grab from footage released by the Turkish presidency shows Erdogan receiving EU Council
President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - who was left without a
chair. (Photo: AFP)

BRUSSELS: Gender equality issues took centre stage on Wednesday (Apr 7) in

Brussels a day after Ursula von der Leyen, one the EU's most powerful
executives, was treated like a second-rank official during a visit to Ankara.

Von der Leyen - the European Commission president - and European Council
chief Charles Michel visited Turkey on Tuesday for talks with Turkish leader
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (/news/world/eu-chiefs-press-erdogan-on-rights-
while-stressing-better-ties-14568832) focusing on the EU-Turkey relations. 

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After they were led in a big room for discussions with Erdogan, TV images
showed that only two chairs had been laid out in front of the EU and the
Turkish flags for the three leaders.
 Michel and Erdogan took the chairs as von der Leyen stood looking at both
men, expressing her astonishment with a “ehm" and a gesture of
disappointment. Von der Leyen eventually sat on a large beige sofa, away from
her male counterparts.

According to a EU source, the meeting between the three leaders lasted more
than two hours and a half.

08 Apr 2021 06:08AM

(Updated: 08 Apr 2021 07:05AM)

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in- .
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eu-
turkey-
meeting-
highlights-
gender-
equality- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, and EU Council President Charles Michel
arrive for a joint news conference after talks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Ankara,
issue-
Turkey, on Apr 6, 2021. (Photo: AP/Burhan Ozbilici)
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Turkey%2520meeting%2520highlights%2520gender%2520equality%2520issue&uid=608f869d01fb704a&pub=ra-
“The important thing is that the
5e0028e53cd1fd98&rev=v8.28.8- Advertisement

president should have been seated

wp&per=undefined&pco=tbx-
300) exactly in the same manner as the
Bookmark
president of the European council
and the Turkish president," EU
commission chief spokesman Eric
Mamer said, adding that Von der
Leyen was surprised by the
arrangements.

“She decided to proceed

nevertheless, prioritising substance
over protocol, but nevertheless let me stress that the president expects that the
institution that she represents to be treated with the required protocol, and she
has therefore asked her team to take all appropriate contacts in order to ensure
that such an incident does not occur in the future," Mamer said.

He added that Von der Leyen's protocol team did not travel to Turkey with her
due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There was no immediate comment from the Turkish presidency.

Michel said the embarrassment was the result of the “strict interpretation" by
Turkish services of protocol rules and regretted “the differentiated, even
diminished, treatment of the president of the European Commission".
► READ: Turkey condemns admirals' warning over Bosphorus treaty
(/news/world/turkey-condemns-admirals--warning-over-
bosphorus-treaty-14556394?
cid=h3_referral_inarticlelinks_24082018_cna)

In a statement released late on Wednesday, Michel said that although TV

images could have given the impression he was “insensitive" to Von der
Leyen's uncomfortable situation, “nothing could be further from reality, nor
from (his) deepest feelings".

The diplomatic incident was abundantly commented on social media. European

lawmaker Sophie in ’t Veld posted pictures of previous meetings between
Michel’s and Von der Leyen’s predecessors with Erdogan, with the trio of men
sitting in chairs next to each other.

“And no, it wasn’t a coincidence, it was deliberate,” in 't Veld wrote on Twitter,
questioning why Michel remained “silent".
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“‘Ehm’ is the new term for ‘that’s not how EU-Turkey relationship should be,’
said Sergey Lagodinsky, another member of the European Parliament, using
the hashtags #GiveHerASeat and #womensrights.”

Last month, Erdogan pulled Turkey out of a key European convention aimed at
combatting violence against women, triggering criticism from EU officials. The
move was a blow to Turkey’s women’s rights movement, which says domestic
violence and murders of women are on the rise.

Von der Leyen called for Erdogan to reverse his decision to withdraw from the
Istanbul Convention.

“Human rights issues are non-negotiable. We were very clear about that. We
urge Turkey to reverse its decision because it is the first international binding
instrument to combat violence against women and children,” she said.

Asked whether the commission regarded the incident as specifically gender-

related, Mamer said Von der Leyen travelled to Ankara as the president of an
EU institution.

“Being a man or a woman does not change anything to the fact that she should
have been seated according to the very same protocol arrangements as the two
other participants,” Mamer said. “She seized the opportunity to specifically
tackle the Istanbul convention and women's rights. I believe that the message
sent was clear."

Source:
AP/ec

Tagged Topics
news and politics (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/news-and-politics)

Turkey (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/turkey)

Von der Leyen (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/von-der-leyen)

 Charles Michel (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/charles-michel)

Tayyip Erdogan (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/tayyip-erdogan)

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in-
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issue-
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