'Sofagate' Rumbles On As Italian PM Calls Erdogan 'Dictator'

The breach of diplomatic protocol that has dominated the news cycle in Brussels over the past week shows little sign of diminishing after Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi last night said he felt sorry for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a 'dictator'.

• The incident occurred during a meeting between VDL, Erdogan, and European Council President Charles Michel earlier in the week. Ahead of a photoshoot, only two chairs had been placed for the three individuals. The chairs were claimed by Michel and Erdogan, leaving a clearly displeased VDL to sit further away opposite Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
• Each side has sought to blame the other for the breach of protocol, wholly taking the focus off of a meeting that was intended to act as a re-set of relations between the EU and Turkey. All sides have come in for criticism, with the EU's officials accused of not doing their homework in setting up the meeting, Michel for taking the seat ahead of VDL (also raising comments about the treatment of women at a time when Turkey is under pressure for its withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on women's rights), and the Turkish gov't for perhaps intentionally removing a chair in order to sow division among the EU institutions.
• Escalating the situation last night, Draghi stated that ""I felt very sorry for the humiliation that European Commission President von der Leyen had to undergo [...] With these — let's call them for what they are — dictators, which we however need to cooperate with...one has to be frank in expressing a diversity of views, opinions, behaviors, visions of society,"
• Asked about Draghi's comments an EU foreign affairs spox stated that the meeting was "part of the efforts by EU to make sure that we try to get back to a normal constructive cooperation with Turkey, as requested by [EU prime ministers] in the latest Council conclusions."