Tensions rise: France remembers its ambassador after Erdogan’s comments



[ad_1]

“Such” excesses “and” harshness “by RT Erdogan are unacceptable, the House of the Elysee said in a statement on Saturday, noting that this is the first time that a high-ranking diplomat has been withdrawn.

“We demand that RT Erdogan change his policy course because it is dangerous,” the statement said.

Tensions between France and Turkey are on the rise. Macron has long criticized Erdogan’s postulates on regional government, from intervening in the Libyan civil war to his role in settling the territorial dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and his energy exploration ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean. .

Following the Turkish leader’s comments about France’s mourning for a teacher killed by an Islamist, Macron vowed to prevent radical Islam. According to the report, RT Erdogan did not send any messages of sympathy or support after the teacher’s murder.

A spokesperson for Elysee House called Macron’s comments on mental health “brutal”, “aggressive” and “an attack on French values.” The report also notes that the removal of the ambassador is a “strong diplomatic signal.”

The French ambassador was last remembered when Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio met with representatives of France’s “yellow vest” anti-government protest movement.

More measures could be contemplated as soon as the French ambassador speaks with the president, said the official, reluctant to publish his name.

But it did not end there. Turkey soon came under harsher criticism from Europe for its policy towards Muslims, and President RT Erdogan once again asked his French counterpart, President Macron, to seek help from psychiatrists, which could exacerbate discord between the NATO country and its European allies.

“I already said it on Saturday and I will repeat it again,” RT Erdogan said on television on Sunday. “Ms. Macron needs a mental health checkup.”

Initially, RT Erdogan attacked Macron, saying the French president was displaying religious intolerance by vowing to stand up to extremists following the assassination of a teacher in Paris.

On Sunday, the communications director for the Turkish presidency posted a tweet about the government’s outrage.

“Europe is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for Muslims,” ​​Fahrettin Altun wrote on Twitter. – The policy of ‘dog whistles’, with offensive cartoons, denunciations of separatism and raids on mosques, is completely incompatible with freedom of expression. Rather, it shows an attempt to intimidate Muslims and remind them that they are expected to contribute to the European economy, but will never be a part of it. “

Altun’s comments were strongly echoed by various EU officials, including Margaritis Schin, European Commissioner for European Affairs, who wrote on Twitter: “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but as defined in our Treaty, this is our way of life.”

Tensions between Turkey and the EU are fueled by a variety of problems, from the Libyan civil war to exploring Turkey’s energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Furthermore, the European Union relies on Turkey in its efforts to stem the flow of refugees to the region and, under the 2016 agreement, agreed to pay Turkey billions of dollars to help control the influx of Syrians and other migrants seeking Enterokay.

RT Erdogan has also been harshly criticized by the United States for his threats to impose sanctions on the country in relation to his decision to buy and test Russian S-400 missiles, saying “apply, go ahead.”



[ad_2]