ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday accused Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of humiliating European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week and said it was important to be honest with “dictators”. Ankara.
Von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel met with Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. The head of the Commission was clearly surprised when the two men sat on the only two chairs ready, relegating her to an adjacent sofa.
“I do not agree with Erdogan’s behavior towards President von der Leyen. … I don’t think it was an appropriate behavior and I was very sorry for the humiliation that von der Leyen had to suffer, “Draghi told reporters.
“With them, to call them what they are – dictators – with whom someone still has to coordinate, we have to be honest when we express different visions and opinions,” he added.
The Italian ambassador to Ankara was summoned to the foreign ministry for Draghi’s comments, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported, and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized the statements.
“We strongly condemn the unacceptable, populist speech of Italian Prime Minister Draghi and his ugly and unfettered comments about our elected president,” Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter.
Earlier on Thursday, Cavusoglu said that the meetings were arranged in accordance with the requirements of the bloc and the international protocol, and that Turkey was subject to “unjust accusations”.
Reporting by Angelo Amante, Gavin Jones and Daren Butler in Istanbul; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Will Dunham