Mehmet Y. Yilmaz: Lack of handshakes at Cankaya: looking to Erdogan for clues
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 24, 2008 15:34
It was not a "first" when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan chose not to shake the hands of President Abdullah Gul's wife, Hayrunnisa Gul, at a formal dinner at Cankaya Presidential Palace this last week. Many of my readers reminded me of this yesterday after I mentioned the matter in my column, bringing to light the memory that Erdogan also didn't shake Hayrunnisa Gul's hand at the October 29 Republic Day ceremonies last year at Cankaya.
Now, as far as I know, Abdullah Gul and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are close friends, and their families do see eachother socially.
But also as far as I know, shaking hands is a social necessity these days! Of course, in Turkey this sometimes gets exaggerated, with people not only shaking hands but kissing eachother.
In any case, it is not easy to understand how it is that two people who are close family friends could not follow this basic standard of couresy. What's more, we know from experience that Hayrunnisa Gul is not a woman who shies away from handshakes normally. So it must of been Erdogan who decided not to shake. Which is why, the only thing I can make out of this is that Erdogan must of been "playing to the tribunes" (since on that evening, Cankaya was hosting Sudanese leader El Beshir, whose wife does not shake the hands of men). If this is the case, it is not behavior acceptable in a leader. The Prime Minister is always saying how much he's changed, but it's clear that saying you have changed is not enough to actually change a person!
But also as far as I know, shaking hands is a social necessity these days! Of course, in Turkey this sometimes gets exaggerated, with people not only shaking hands but kissing eachother.
In any case, it is not easy to understand how it is that two people who are close family friends could not follow this basic standard of couresy. What's more, we know from experience that Hayrunnisa Gul is not a woman who shies away from handshakes normally. So it must of been Erdogan who decided not to shake. Which is why, the only thing I can make out of this is that Erdogan must of been "playing to the tribunes" (since on that evening, Cankaya was hosting Sudanese leader El Beshir, whose wife does not shake the hands of men). If this is the case, it is not behavior acceptable in a leader. The Prime Minister is always saying how much he's changed, but it's clear that saying you have changed is not enough to actually change a person!