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PARIS: France withdrew its ambassador on Saturday after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his counterpart Emmanuel Macron needed mental help because of his attitude towards Muslims.
“Outrage and insult are not a method,” Macron’s office said.
The French leader this month declared war on “Islamist separatism”, which he believes is taking over some Muslim communities in France.
Since then, France has been rocked by the beheading of a teacher by a radical Islamist, avenging the use of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in a class on freedom of expression.
“What is the problem of this person named Macron with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment at the mental level, ”Erdogan said in a speech in the central Turkish city of Kayseri.
“What else can you say to a head of state who does not understand freedom of belief and who behaves in this way with millions of people who live in his country and who are members of a different faith? Erdogan added.
Turkey and France are members of the NATO military alliance, but have disagreed over issues such as Syria and Libya, maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean and the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“France has brought together its European partners, who share France’s demand that Turkey put an end to its dangerous adventures in the Mediterranean and in the region,” the statement from Macron’s office said.
Erdogan has two months to respond or face action, he added, noting the absence of a condolence message from Turkey’s leader after the death of the history teacher last week.
Erdogan is a pious Muslim and since his Islamist-rooted AK Party came to power in 2002, he has sought to make Islam mainstream in politics in Turkey, a largely Muslim but constitutionally secular country.
The Turkish president had also said on October 6 that Macron’s comments about the Islamist threats were “a clear provocation” and showed “impertinence.”
