Erdogan meets leaders at sidelines of G20 in Rome

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders at the sidelines of G-20 on Saturday.

The meeting with von der Leyen was the first since a diplomatic incident in April where the European Commission president was treated like a second rank official and not seated next to Erdogan during an official visit.

The incident raised questions about gender equality issues in politics and put European Council Chief Charles Michel on the center stage of the scandal, who was also present in the meeting and did not protest to the seating.

Footage released by Turkish president's office also showed Erdogan meeting Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the conference of world leaders.

COVID-19 economic recovery and climate change are the two main issues being discussed by the leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies, who are gathering in Rome before heading to Glasgow, Scotland, for the COP26 U.N. climate conference.

The summit kicked off Saturday and is scheduled to conclude Sunday.

IMAGE: AP