After the “Sofagate” scandal, Luxemburg Foreign Minister says Erdogan continues his authoritarian policies

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen was exposed to an embarrassing situation when she was left standing because of the lack of chairs in Ankara during her recent visit to Turkey alongside President of the European Council Charles Michel. This protocol mishap, dubbed as “Sofagate” scandal, has deepened the spat between the Turkish regime and the European Union amid the EU’s repeated criticism against the President of the Turkish regime Recep Tayyib Erdogan over his destructive internal and foreign policies.

The Foreign Minister of Luxemburg Jean Asselborn said in an interview with AFP that the European Union should not commit itself to updating the Customs Union and the system for granting visas to the Turks if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues his “authoritarian policies”.

Eselborn said that Turkey’s policies are very worrying and Erdogan is moving towards authoritarianism as he is not ready to normalize relations with the European Union.

Two days ago, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called Erdogan a dictator on the backdrop of insulting the European Commission’s President.

“I absolutely do not agree with Erdogan’s behavior towards President von der Leyen … I think it was not appropriate behavior and I was very sorry for the humiliation von der Leyen had to suffer,” Draghi told reporters.

 “With these, let’s call them what they are, dictators, with whom one nonetheless has to coordinate, one has to be frank when expressing different visions and opinions,” he added.

European MPs were outraged by the “Sofagate” scandal  describing it as an intentional incident and a protocol insult when they watched the video in which the Commission chief was clearly taken aback when Erdogan and  Charles Michel sat on the only two chairs prepared, relegating her to an adjacent sofa.

They called for clarifying what happened and for enforcing respect for the European institutions.

The Western media outlets also criticized Erdogan’s regime’s behavior. The American “Washington Post” described the incident as an “embarrassing moment” which caused a “diplomatic crisis.”

The New York Times said that the protocol mishap involving Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission president, was cited by critics as symbolic of Turkey’s treatment of women and it underlined divisions within the European Union.

Hamda Mustafa