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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron’s call for Ankara to withdraw its forces from Libya, and rejected the American and European positions regarding the recent Bosphorus University events in Istanbul. Erdogan said, in a press release on Friday, commenting on Macron’s call for Turkey to withdraw its soldiers from Libya, “It appears that it has not learned this matter, and learning it takes a long time.
President Erdogan stressed that the Turkish forces are in Libya “at the invitation of their legitimate government, and that Macron should extend his invitation to the other parties sending mercenary fighters to Libya.” The Turkish president noted that there are fighters in Libya from Chad and Mali. “What are (the French) doing in Mali and Chad?” He asked, stressing the need to hold France accountable for what it does in those areas.
Erdogan stressed that “when Turkey sends its forces to a place, it is for the sake of peace.” He emphasized that “the Turkish forces are in Libya at the invitation of this country,” noting that there is a security and military cooperation agreement with it. Regarding the Bosphorus University events, Erdogan criticized the United States and the European Union for “condemning” the recent Bosphorus University (Bogazici) events in Istanbul. “I say to the United States, are you not ashamed in the name of democracy what happened to you before the elections?”
The Turkish president referred to racist practices in the United States and the killing of African citizens by the police there, and asked: “How will you explain that to the world?” He also denounced the statements issued by the European Union and Macron on the university protests, and called on the latter to “resolve the yellow jackets issue first.” He pointed out Macron’s inability to resolve the issue of protests and frequent French outings, stressing that Turkey does not suffer from such a situation and enjoys peace and tranquility.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed his country’s “concern” over the arrest campaign against protesters during the “Bogazici” University protests. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry responded, confirming in a statement that “no party has the right to interfere in our internal affairs, the rights of assembly, demonstration and freedom of expression are guaranteed in accordance with the constitution.” The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed his concern about the evolution of the University of the Bosphorus and called for the release of the detainees.
Source: Russia today
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