“Charles Mitchell just didn’t see…”

Everything happens last Thursday. Mrs von der Leyen, Mr Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron were welcoming their guests one-on-one on the first day of the Brussels summit when the representative of the Government of Ugandan, General JJ Odongo, passed by Mrs von der. Leyen, suddenly stricken by invisibility, to shake hands with the two men.

It was only after the French president underscored Ms von der Leyen’s presence that the Ugandan minister had approved the German without moving his hand more explicitly. Charles Mitchell, he did not respond, attracted the wrath of some Internet users. misogynist? Gaujat? Not at all, apparently.

” What happened? ”

Charles Michel insisted he did not see Ugandan Foreign Minister Haji Abubakhar JJ Odongo shaking hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Brussels EU-African Union summit on Thursday. His communications advisor over the weekend.

“The video clearly shows the chairman of the council talking to President Macron while the guest passed in front of President von der Leyen”, underlined his adviser on Twitter. “The video also shows the council’s chairman asking President Macron what had happened. And President Macron replied to him: ‘Yeah, he didn’t shake his hand'”, detailed the adviser, RTL on Sunday – Inquired on TVI. “President Charles Michel simply did not notice that the minister had passed like this before Mrs von der Leyen”.

However, some have noticed passivity in Mr. Mitchell’s head, which reminds him of the protocol incident of the “couchgate”.

“Turkey” event

This time, having received Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Michel in Ankara last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat in a chair next to Mr Michel, while the President of the European Executive had to sit on a sofa without seeing Charles Michel fit. was taken back to the set. resisting.

Mrs von der Leyen protested by coughing, and the incident sparked a debate between the two presidents over the distribution of international roles. However, the German did not react to the incident instigated by the Ugandan minister on Thursday.