Editorial: Of ‘hugplomacies and Sofagates’

It was amidst one such recent rendezvous that a faux pas had occurred that snowballed into a transcontinental controversy. The incident involved the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and her colleague, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who were in Turkey to meet the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Strangely, in the meeting room, there were only two chairs that had been set aside for the three leaders, and as Michel and Erdogan assumed their seats, von der Leyen was left standing, and her confused retort, “Mmm” was splashed across headlines in Europe.

While von der Leyen was later offered a seat on a sofa opposite to Erdogan’s Foreign Minister, the protocol gaffe, since dubbed Sofagate has ignited a debate in global circles pertaining to the ideas of positions, sexism, and diplomatic rank, while even prompting a signature campaign from an Italian MEP demanding Michel’s resignation for not having expressed his solidarity with von der Leyen. Violation of diplomatic protocols is nothing new in the global political arena. Former US President, Donald Trump, was often known to break with tradition, when it came to sticking to such routines. In 2017, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the Oval Office, she sat beside Trump, and suggested to him that they shake hands before the talks began. The suggestion, it seems, went unheard by Trump, which led to an icy 30-minute-long press meet where Trump refused to make eye contact with Merkel.

Trump’s shiftiness which occupies two extremes of the behavioural spectrum was also visible two years ago, during his visit to the UK. There, he was photographed as having gently touched Queen Elizabeth II during the State Banquet dinner. As per royal protocol, one must not touch the Queen, unless she offers her hand first. Well, that rule seems to have been broken before by the likes of former US First Lady Michelle Obama, when she put her arm around the Queen while posing for the shutterbugs.

Speaking of hugs, one does not have to look too far for champions of the full-bodied embrace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who seems to be going by the mantra Athithi Devo Bhava (guests equal gods), has an enviable track record for having hugged a whole contingent of world leaders, from Obama to Macron, Netanyahu, and Abe. So much so, that the main Opposition, the Congress had berated him in 2018 for his policy of ‘hugplomacy.’ Modi, in his trademark fashion replied that as a common man, he was ignorant of diplomatic protocols (like emphatically looking left and right and shaking hands), and it was his openness that endeared him to world leaders.

But not all world leaders are taken into confidence by the strength of an embrace. When Chinese President Xi Jinping came calling on Modi, the duo embarked on a visit to heritage spots in Mahabalipuram, where the PM decked in traditional regalia, offered Jinping a tour of attractions like Krishna’s Butterball and the Five Rathas. Conspicuous by its absence was any overt expression of friendliness, aka Modi’s Jaadu ki Jhappi (magical embrace).

In a post-pandemic world, a complete rewrite of the diplomatic protocol playbook might be in the offing. Rather than opting to sit among politicians in close proximity, state heads might be better off in socially distant arrangements. But one can only hope that the distancing is limited to the context of such conferences, and not reflected on diplomatic relations, shared by nations, which in the hour of an unprecedented health crisis, need to be even stronger.