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, saying it was important to be frank with the ” dictators, “hearing Ankara’s condemnation.
Von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel met with Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. The head of the Commission was clearly baffled when the two men sat in the only two chairs prepared, relegating her to an adjacent sofa.
“I 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 that von der Leyen had to suffer, “Draghi told reporters.
“With these, let’s call them what they are – dictators – with whom we have to coordinate, but we have to be frank in expressing 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 populist and unacceptable speech of Italian Prime Minister Draghi and his ugly and unrestricted comments about our president-elect,” Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter.
Earlier Thursday, Cavusoglu said the meeting seats were agreed in accordance with the demands of the bloc and international protocol and that Turkey was subject to “unfair accusations.”
Report by Angelo Amante, Gavin Jones and Daren Butler in Istanbul; Edited by Crispian Balmer and Will Dunham