DM Monitoring
ANKARA: Turkey’s Foreign Ministry criticized recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron for being “unacceptable” and “unfortunate” at a time when the two countries are trying to mend broken relations.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said Macron’s remarks contradicted the friendship and alliance between the two countries.
Aksoy was responding to a question about Macron’s remarks on France 5 channel, in which he “damaged” the friendly relations between the two countries. “Turkey follows legitimate policies in line with international law in the Eastern Mediterranean, Syria and Libya,” Aksoy said.
He also noted that Macron’s claims that Turkey would interfere in the upcoming elections in France are “dangerous” and alienating and threatens the minorities living in France. “We think that those statements by Mr. Macron are unfortunate and inconsistent at a time we take steps to replace the tension in the relations between the two countries with calm and friendship,” Aksoy said. After a tumultuous year in bilateral relations, Turkey and France started working on a road map to normalize ties and talks. Ankara has repeatedly traded barbs with Paris over policies in Syria, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in France.
The spat has risen to new levels in recent months as France has moved to crack down on some Muslim groups after several attacks on its soil. Ankara and Paris previously escalated tensions after French officials in 2018 met with the leaders of the YPG.
The two countries are also on opposing sides in Libya, where Ankara backed the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli against a 2019 offensive by putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar. France is suspected of supporting Haftar, but officially insists it is neutral in the conflict.
Turkish officials have decried France’s interference in the Eastern Mediterranean dispute, given it has no territory in the region. Paris has also accused Ankara’s navy of aggressive behavior after its French warship tried to inspect a Turkish vessel in June that it suspected was violating a U.N. arms embargo on Libya. Turkey has denied harassing the Courbet.
