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EU-Turkey partnership: Anything but honest

The latest visit by top European Union officials to Ankara has shown that the European Union has effectively turned its back to its avowed core principles and values vis-a-vis Erdogan. 
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) and EU Council President Charles Michel (R) arrive for a joint news conference after talks with Turkey's president in Ankara on April 6, 2021.

The long-awaited meeting between the highest-level European Union officials and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was overshadowed by video footage showing EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen being humiliated by Erdogan.

A video of the leaders assembled in a meeting room in Ankara showed Erdogan and European Council President Charles Michel settling themselves into gilded chairs, while Leyen appeared unsure of where she was expected to sit. She stood staring at them, gestured with her right hand and seemed to say “um” or “ehm,” reported The Washington Post.

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