07.07.2026 15:30
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken shared a photo of himself crossing his legs in front of a Turkish flag and a portrait of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the NATO Summit in Ankara, with the caption 'Hello again my beautiful Turkey and my ancient friend Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.' After a Turkish citizen warned him that 'Sitting like that is disrespectful,' Francken apologized and deleted his post.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken made a striking post while in Turkey as part of his contacts at the NATO Summit in Ankara.
Francken, who shared a photo taken in a room featuring the Turkish flag and a portrait of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, said, "Hello again, my beautiful Turkey and my old friend Mustafa Kemal Atatürk."
However, his sitting posture in the photo drew criticism from some users. After a Turkish citizen warned, "Your sitting posture is disrespectful," Francken apologized and deleted his post.
REMOVED THE PHOTO FOLLOWING THE WARNING
It was learned that the Belgian Minister apologized for his behavior being perceived as disrespectful after the criticism and removed the photo from his social media account.
The incident occurred during the 36th NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government hosted by Ankara.