EU chief Ursula von der Leyen blames sexism for 'sofagate' in Turkey
European Union
The European Commission’s first female President Ursula von der Leyen recently shed light on the sexism she faced during a meeting in Turkey on April 6.
Von der Leyen was reportedly “hurt” after she was left without a chair at the meeting in Ankara.
Turkey faced criticism for the same, and so did EU Council President Charles Michel, who took the only seat available next to Turkish President Erdogan.
Due to this, Von der Leyen was forced to sit on a sofa, an incident that has been referred to as “sofagate” since then.
During a speech to the European Parliament on Monday, she said that sexism lied at the root of the blunder.
The 62-year-old said that she wondered why she was treated differently from Michel, who has since then apologised for his role in “sofagate”.
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"I am the first woman to be President of the European Commission. I am the President of the European Commission. And this is how I expected to be treated when visiting Turkey two weeks ago, like a Commission President, but I was not," BBC quoted Von der Leyen as saying.
She further said that there could be no “justification” for the treatment. Based on this, she concluded that “it happened because I am a woman”. The ferocious leader went on to ask, “Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and a tie?”
The meeting in question took place to repair the relationship between the European Union and Turkey and talks took place in Erdogan’s presidential palace.
When the time arrived for the leaders to sit down, only two chairs appeared which were occupied by Michel and Erdogan. Leyen made her displeasure clear, as footage shows her letting out a very evident “ahem”.
Eventually, Von der Leyen sat down on a sofa away from Erdogan and facing the Turkish foreign foreign minister.
Soon after, comparisons sprouted between the “sofagate” meeting and a previous one which took place in Brussels in 2017 when both the heads of the European Commission and Council - both men sat in chairs beside the Turkish president.