Italian Premier Mario Draghi has
angered Ankara by calling Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan
a dictator in a press conference on Thursday.
The Turkish government rapidly summoned the Italian ambassador
to Ankara to express its disapproval of the comments, which
Draghi made in relation to the 'sofagate' case regarding the
failure to provide a seat for European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting on Tuesday.
"I am really sorry about the humiliation that the commission
president had to suffer with these, let's call them for what
they are, dictators," Draghi said.
The Italian premier said the EU had to be frank with figures
like Erdogan, stressing the differences in outlook while at the
same time being ready to cooperate.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the comments
"ugly and unreasonable" and said they should be taken back.
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