[ad_1]
French Prime Minister Macron has harshly criticized Turkey and called for respect for the EU. Turkish head of state Erdogan had previously announced a boycott of France.
French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of having a “warlike” attitude towards NATO partners. In an interview with the Arab television station Al-Jazeera on Saturday, Macron said he expected things to “calm down.” To do this, the Turkish president must respect France and the European Union and their values, Macron said. Furthermore, Erdogan “should not lie or insult.”
“Turkey has a bellicose attitude towards its NATO allies,” Macron said, criticizing Ankara’s actions in Syria, Libya and the Mediterranean.
Erdogan: Macron should “examine the mood”
Erdogan called for a boycott of French products last week. He also advised his French counterpart to have a “mood check.”
Macron announced stricter controls on mosques and other Muslim institutions after the allegedly Islamist-motivated killing of history professor Samuel Paty near Paris two weeks ago. In response to Erdogan’s verbal attack, France called its Ankara ambassador in Paris for consultations.
However, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the diplomat will return to Turkey on Sunday. The reason was Turkey’s positive reaction to the allegedly Islamist-motivated attack in Nice that left three dead: Ankara had condemned the attack. This reaction was “different, clear, unmistakable,” Le Drian told RTL television.
Turkey is said to have instrumentalized the attack on teachers
However, after Paty’s murder, Turkey made “the conscious decision” to “instrumentalize” the attack. Furthermore, Ankara launched a “campaign of hate and insults against us”.
Le Drian went on to say that the Turkish side had yet to explain their behavior. “With a request for clarification and explanation, we have asked our ambassador to return to Ankara tomorrow,” the minister said.
Relationship between NATO partners in crisis for months
The relationship between NATO partners has been strained for months. One of the reasons is the heated dispute over the exploitation of gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. EU members Greece and Cyprus as well as Turkey claim the maritime zones in question. Ankara repeatedly provoked neighboring countries into the dispute. Macron later issued strong warnings to Erdogan.
However, the fact that Turkey was involved in the conflicts in Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh also created tension. Macron accused Ankara of having transferred jihadist fighters from Syria to Azerbaijan. In this context, the French head of state spoke of a “red line” that Ankara had crossed. Erdogan rejected the accusation.
