European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen gave an explosion in front of parliament and highlighted the need to fight sexism. He said he was injured as a woman when he was left without a chair during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The meeting took place earlier this month in the Turkish capital, Ankara. He was also welcomed by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and posed for pictures with Erdogan. But when they entered the presidential palace, there were only two chairs: one occupied by the Turkish president, the other Michael occupying a seat, and there was no room for it.
The first female president of the European Commission had to sit on a bed next door, in a vice position. “Would it have happened if I had worn a suit and tie? In the pictures of previous meetings, I did not see the absence of chairs. But I did not see any women. As a woman I felt hurt and alone and as a European. Because it’s not about chairs or ethics, it goes to the essence of who we are.” Said Van der Leyen.
Composition
The Council of Europe is the body that defines the priorities and policies of the Alliance, and the governing body is the European Commission. As chairman of the council, Michael van der Leyen is older, but because of his duties, he resembles a head of state.
In 2015, when these positions were held by Donald Dusk and Jean-Claude Junger, there were enough chairs for everyone to sit together, and in a meeting with Erdogan.
Charles Michael defended himself on social media, saying that although he appeared indifferent in the films it was not true and he did not act at the time so as not to aggravate the situation. Turkey’s foreign minister said the number of seats would be in line with the number requested by the European Union.
(Posted by Natalia Fonseca)
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