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Who's That? EU's von der Leyen Left Without Honored Guest's Handshake at Summit
Who's That? EU's von der Leyen Left Without Honored Guest's Handshake at Summit
Sputnik International
In April last year, there were not enough chairs for von der Leyen to sit down at a meeting in Turkey with Erdogan and Michel. The Turkish side explained back... 18.02.2022, Sputnik International
2022-02-18T23:01+0000
2022-02-18T23:01+0000
2023-04-12T17:14+0000
ursula von der leyen
uganda
diplomacy
europe
emmanuel macron
charles michel
viral
european union (eu)
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Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, found herself in the awkward position of being almost completely ignored by a dignitary attending the EU's Africa summit.The unpleasant lapse, in which Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo appeared to walk past von der Leyen took place at a photo op, with Odongo apparently offering only a little acknowledgment and no handshake to the Commission president.Odongo walked past von der Leyen at the Africa summit meet and greet before shaking hands with European Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron. He then took his spot in the group portrait between von der Leyen and Michel. The gaffe was largely avoided this time when Macron stepped in and allegedly told Odongo that he might want to greet the Commission president.For some, the incident brought to mind uneasy parallels with the "Sofagate" diplomatic protocol breach in Turkey last year.In that event, Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat in elegant chairs next to each other, while von der Leyen sat on a sofa. Later, von der Leyen explained, "It happened because I am a woman." Michel admitted then that he might have made a mistake when he sat down despite the lack of a chair for his colleague and expressed regret for the situation.The poignancy of the situation was given by Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention for the Protection of Women, for which it has been criticized in the EU.
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ursula von der leyen, uganda, diplomacy, europe, emmanuel macron, charles michel, viral, european union (eu)
ursula von der leyen, uganda, diplomacy, europe, emmanuel macron, charles michel, viral, european union (eu)
Who's That? EU's von der Leyen Left Without Honored Guest's Handshake at Summit
23:01 GMT 18.02.2022 (Updated: 17:14 GMT 12.04.2023) Kirill Kurevlev
Managing Editor
In April last year, there were not enough chairs for von der Leyen to sit down at a meeting in Turkey with Erdogan and Michel. The Turkish side explained back then that the meeting may have taken place in a room not prepared for the event. The discomfiture continued after von der Leyen was relegated to a sofa, thus giving it the name "sofagate."
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, found herself in the awkward position of being almost completely ignored by a dignitary attending the EU's Africa summit.
The unpleasant lapse, in which Ugandan Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo appeared to walk past von der Leyen took place at a photo op, with Odongo apparently offering only a little acknowledgment and no handshake to the Commission president.
Odongo walked past von der Leyen at the Africa summit meet and greet before shaking hands with European Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron. He then took his spot in the group portrait between von der Leyen and Michel.
The gaffe was largely avoided this time when Macron stepped in and allegedly told Odongo that he might want to greet the Commission president.
For some, the incident brought to mind uneasy parallels with the "Sofagate" diplomatic protocol breach in Turkey last year.
In that event, Michel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat in elegant chairs next to each other, while von der Leyen
sat on a sofa. Later, von der Leyen explained, "It happened because I am a woman."
Michel admitted then that he might have made a mistake when he sat down despite the lack of a chair for his colleague and
expressed regret for the situation.
The poignancy of the situation was given by Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention for the Protection of Women, for which it has been criticized in the EU.
