Erdogan hopes France ‘gets rid of Macron’ as soon as possible

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that he hopes France will “get rid” of its French counterpart Emmanuel Macron as soon as possible, in the latest salvo in a growing war of words between the two leaders.

“Macron is a problem for France. With Macron, France is going through a very, very dangerous period. I hope that France gets rid of Macron’s problems as soon as possible, ”Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

Turkey and France are embroiled in a series of disputes, from tensions in the eastern Mediterranean to the controversial Nagorno-Karabakh region.

And the dispute has escalated to new levels in recent months, as France has cracked down on Islamist extremism after several attacks on French soil.

Erdogan has repeatedly suggested that Macron undergo “mind checks” and urged the Turkish people to boycott French-labeled products.

On Friday Ergodan said that France should get rid of Macron “otherwise they will not be able to get rid of the yellow vests,” referring to the protest movement that began in France in 2018.

“The yellow vests could later become red vests,” Erdogan said, without elaborating.

Turkey and France are also at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan populated by ethnic Armenians who broke away from Baku control in a post-Soviet war in the 1990s.

New clashes broke out in September, until a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal was sealed last month.

Turkey is a staunch ally of Azerbaijan.

France, along with Russia and the United States, co-chairs the Minsk Group, which has led talks seeking a solution to the conflict for decades but has failed to reach a lasting agreement.

Last month, the French Senate adopted a non-binding resolution calling on France to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.

Erdogan said that France had lost its “role of mediator” in the Karabakh dispute.

“Why? You are a mediator but, on the other hand, you have passed a resolution in your parliament … about a region where you are supposed to be a mediator,” he said.

Erdogan also echoed the comments of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that France should cede its southern city of Marseille to Armenia if it is so keen on establishing a state.

“I am giving the same advice: if they are so interested, they should give Marseille to the Armenians,” Erdogan said. “It’s as simple as that.”