-
.
- Ελληνικά
A new sofagate occurred in Brussels, against the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in the presence of Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who fortunately saved the day.
Uganda's Foreign Minister, Jeje Odongo, after the 6th EU-African Union Summit, which took place last weekend in Brussels, went to a special spot to greet the EU leadership and have his picture taken with them. However, the African politician ignored the Commission President, immediately headed towards Charles Michel who was standing next to her and greeted him, without him protesting or reacting. Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo, then greeted French President Emmanuel Macron, who was standing nearby, cordially. A surprised von der Leyen watched the scene.
Watch the moment with the new sofagate:
As he took his place to be photographed, next to Von der Leyen, Macron indicated two or three times, insistently, to greet the head of the Commission. In contrast, Charles Michel did not react. The Ugandan Foreign Minister then turned his head, bowed somewhat awkwardly, said a few words to Von der Leyen, without shaking his hand, and walked away to leave his place to the Ethiopian Prime Minister who was coming to greet him.
The video of the new sofagate went viral on social media in no time. Incredibly, the Ugandan Foreign Minister posted two photos, on his Twitter account, promoting an article in his country's newspaper, Daily Monitor, in which he appears only with Charles Michel and Emmanuel Macron. Ursula von der Leyen is nowhere to be seen.
Many social media users have criticised his behaviour towards the Commission president. "It's offensive to everyone. There should be a diplomatic protest in these situations," one wrote. "It was unacceptable," others commented. "It's a huge insult from an obviously misogynistic middle-aged man," some wrote. Others called him rude, ill-mannered and macho.
The sofagate in Erdogan's Turkey
This is the second time such impropriety has occurred in public in the face of von der Leyer without a reaction from Charles Michel. During the 2021 von der Leyen-Charles Michel visit to Ankara in 2021, the Commission President was forced to sit on a remote couch away from the President of the European Council and Tayyip Erdogan. Von der Leyen took a seat on a sofa opposite the Turkish foreign minister, who is hierarchically below the Commission president according to protocol.
The incident sparked outrage in Brussels, with many wondering why Charles Michel did not do the obvious, namely offer his seat to the Commission president, as he should have, instead of slouching comfortably next to the Turkish president.
Watch the video from sofagate in Turkey:
Ursula's wrath: I felt alone and hurt
Turkey's sofagate caused uproar, strong political reactions and comments. Ursula von der Leyen herself did not hide her anger at the time. In fact, she spoke in no uncertain terms about the disdain she experienced during the meeting with Erdogan.
Speaking in the European Parliament, the Commission President commented on the events in Ankara.
"I am the first woman President of the Commission. I am the President of the Commission and this is how I expected to be treated during my visit to Turkey. Like the President of the Commission, but not," von der Leyen said, adding: "There is no excuse for the way I was treated. So I have to conclude that it happened because I am a woman. Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and tie?"
"In the photos of previous meetings I did not see a lack of chairs, but again I did not see any women in these photos," she said, among other things."
During her speech, Ursula von der Leyen admitted that she was hurt and felt alone. "Many of you will have had similar experiences in the past. Especially women, members of this House, I am sure, know exactly how I felt. I felt hurt and alone: as a woman and as a European. Because this is not about seating arrangements or protocol. This is about the core of who we are. It is about the values of our Union. And it shows how far we still have to go before women are treated as equals. Always and everywhere."
"When I arrived at the meeting, there were cameras in the room. Thanks to them, the short video of my arrival went viral and generated headlines around the world. There was no need for subtitles. There was no need for translations. The images spoke for themselves."
"But we all know: Thousands of similar incidents, most of which are far more serious, go unnoticed. No one ever sees them or hears about them. Because there is no camera. Because there's no one watching. We have to make sure that these stories are told," said Ursula von der Leyen, concluding her remarks on SofaGate.
Michel: I lost sleep after Sofagate - "If it were possible, I would go back in time"
European Council President Charles Michel said at the time that he had "lost sleep" over Sofagate, starring himself and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, against the Commission president. But it seems that his behaviour has not been corrected.
Source: iefimerida.gr
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source[/P]
Source[/P][/P]
