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French President Emmanuel Macron faced an awkward protocol incident during the reception hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in honor of the heads of state and government participating in the NATO summit, after video footage showed him bending down in an attempt to kiss the hand of Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan, but she did not respond, in a scene that sparked widespread interaction on social media platforms.

The meeting took place just before the start of the summit, which Turkey is hosting over two days, amid discussions regarding the future of the alliance, increasing defense spending, the repercussions of the war in Ukraine and regional tensions, in addition to reshaping the security role of the alliance in light of the shifts in US politics.

During the reception ceremony and exchange of greetings between leaders, Macron bent down while shaking hands with Emine Erdogan in an attempt to kiss her hand, but she did not respond. The French president then continued shaking hands normally, before standing alongside his wife, President Erdogan and his wife for souvenir photos.

Despite the incident, neither Macron and his wife Brigitte nor Erdogan and his wife Emine showed any signs of annoyance or tension, as the four continued exchanging greetings, handshakes and friendly conversations before standing for souvenir photos. Meanwhile, Turkish media said that Macron seemed to have forgotten the protocol followed during the reception ceremony.

Not the first time

This was not the first such incident between Macron and Emine Erdogan. In 2018, during the French president's reception of his Turkish counterpart at the Elysee Palace in Paris, footage showed Macron attempting to kiss Emine Erdogan's hand while greeting, but she withdrew her hand in the same manner, in a scene reminiscent of the latest incident. The circulated clip at the time sparked widespread interaction, while observers saw that the Turkish first lady's behavior was consistent with her commitment to conservative customs and traditions.

Also, it did not stop there. Macron previously faced a similar protocol incident during his official visit to the Netherlands in June 2025, coinciding with the NATO summit in The Hague. Footage showed him attempting to kiss the hand of Dutch Queen Maxima, as well as Princess Ariane, which sparked widespread interaction on social media and opened a discussion about differing diplomatic customs and greeting styles between countries, and the appropriateness of hand-kissing in official occasions.

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