Von der Leyen’s remarks generated headlines in Turkey, a longtime EU candidate nation and key NATO ally. A Commission spokesperson later told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency that the Commission president had meant to acknowledge the nation’s “geopolitical clout, size and ambition.”
That clarification didn’t go muster with Michel, who on Wednesday took to X to slam von der Leyen for her feedback. He described Turkey as “a core #NATO ally, a key migration partner, an energy corridor, a major defense actor on Europe’s flank, and a serious regional power.”
“Europe doesn’t get stronger by applying double standards or simplifying reality,” he added.
The verbal slap renewed the long-term feud between Michel and von der Leyen, a rivalry that was on full show throughout a 2021 go to the 2 made to Turkey. While assembly with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, the then-president of the Council took a seat beside his host, relegating the Commission chief to a close-by sofa.
The snub, later dubbed “sofagate,” uncovered the tensions between the 2 EU leaders. The relationship between von der Leyen and Michel never recovered from the incident, which the Commission president said had left her feeling “hurt” and “alone, as a woman and as a European.”
Michel has stored a comparatively low profile since his time period resulted in 2024, however resurfaced this week to accuse von der Leyen of getting an “authoritarian” type in an interview with the Brussels Times.
In criticizing the Commission president’s feedback on Turkey, nonetheless, Michel drew a pointy rebuke from Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who chided the Belgian for defending a rustic that’s occupying territory claimed by an EU member.
“Dear Charles, since you are talking about double standards, let me remind you that Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, and still occupies European territory,” Christodoulides wrote on X forward of an off-the-cuff summit of EU leaders within the Cypriot capital April 23-24.
