Turkey says it's glad a woman leads EU's executive branch

The Turkish government has again rejected the accusation that it snubbed the head of the European Union’s executive arm because she is a woman and blamed a protocol gaffe on EU squabbling

ANKARA, Turkey -- The Turkish government again rejected the accusation that it snubbed the head of the European Union's executive arm because she is a woman, insisting Wednesday that internal EU squabbling was to blame for a protocol gaffe during a meeting with Turkey's president. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said Ankara was pleased the European Commission had a woman at the helm and called on EU institutions to reach a “consensus” among themselves to avoid similar lapses in protocol in the future. Ursula von der Leyen, the EU commission's president, and European Council President Charles Michel traveled to Turkey this month to discuss the troubled relationship between the 27-nation bloc and Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Michel and Erdogan took the only two chairs placed in front of the EU and Turkish flags, leaving von der Leyen to sit on a large sofa away from the men. In an address to the European Parliament on Monday, von der Leyen said she believes she was treated disrespectfully simply because of her gender.