"I am very sorry for what happened. I have already expressed my regret to Mrs. von der Leyen and all the women. I assure you that since then I have not slept well at night and that in my head I have rewound the film of the episode dozens of times . I take my share of responsibility. "
The President of the European Council Charles Michel, in an interview with a group of journalists published by Il Sole 24 Ore, justifies his behavior in Ankara.
"Unfortunately - he adds - the affair helped to conceal the substance of the meeting with President Erdogan and in this situation the Union's ability to show unity".
On the fact that he did not sit next to von der Leyen or did not give her his seat in the armchair, Michel replies that "I had a few seconds to decide what attitude to have.
At the time, my impression was that a possible reaction would have cast doubt on the long diplomatic work that had prepared our visit - he observes - Furthermore, I did not want to have any paternalistic attitude towards Mrs. von der Leyen.
Having said that, I respect the contrary opinions and I understand the criticisms that have been addressed to me ".
On the risk of triggering a political and not just a protocol incident, Michel observes that" in recent months the tensions in the Mediterranean had really worried us.
We were afraid we were close to a serious accident.
The aim of the visit was to reopen a positive dialogue with Turkey.
I hope that at some point we will return to the substance of the meeting: the rule of law, the modernization of the customs union, economic cooperation, regional stability "
