G20, for Erdogan it is time for a thaw. It approaches Draghi, the EU and the USA

by time news

For the sultan it is time for the thaw. Recep Tayyip Erdogan reunites in one fell swoop with Italy, the European Union and the United States during the G20 in Rome. First a handshake, at the opening of the G20, then a bilateral one on the sidelines of the summit. Mario Draghi met the Turkish president, the first face to face after the ‘frost’ in Ankara following the words of the Italian premier: “Erdogan is a dictator who is needed”. Harsh words in the aftermath of the so-called ‘sofa gate’, when during a meeting between Erdogan and the EU leaders, Ursula von der Leyen had to sit on a sofa, away from her male colleagues, because there was no chair for her. There is talk of a “constructive exchange of views”, with EU-Turkey relations, the Afghan crisis and stability in the Mediterranean at the center, with particular attention to developments in the intra-Libyan political process. As he writes in Il Messaggero, on the table, for a few minutes, there was also the Libyan question. Ankara, with its intervention in support of the Tripoli government, has somehow given a hand to Italy, which feared a growth in power by General Haftar, supported, albeit not officially, by Paris.

Erdogan sees Biden and mends with Von der Leyen after the chair scandal

During the day Erdogan also had a face to face with von der Leyen, complete with a handshake in front of the photographers, as can be seen in the image published on the Twitter profile of the Turkish presidency. The meeting was also attended by EU Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. The Turkish president, who will also meet Biden in Rome today, had a conversation with Ursula von der Leyen yesterday. «Good exchange of views with Erdogan. We took stock of the work on a series of dossiers, from the pandemic to the economic recovery, from Afghanistan to other issues ”, tweeted the president of the EU Commission.

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