Erdogan’s policy is a destabilizing factor, says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron says his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pursuing an “expansionist policy” that “mixes nationalism and Islam.” This is not only “incompatible with European interests”, but also “Europe’s destabilizing factor,” he said in an interview published today.

“Europe needs to see the facts and take responsibility,” Macron said in an interview published in the issue of Paris Match magazine. “I do not support escalation. But on the other hand, I do not believe in weak diplomacy. We have sent the message that European solidarity makes sense,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the fortress of Breganson, in southeastern France, the summer residence of French presidents.

President Erdogan described the actions of countries on the other side of the Turkish coast in the Mediterranean as “piracy” yesterday, Wednesday, at a time when unilateral exploration for hydrocarbons in Ankara is escalating tensions, especially with Greece. Without naming it, Erdogan also spoke out against the French government, as relations between Ankara and Paris have become increasingly strained recently.

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Last week, France announced the deployment of two warships and two aircraft in the Eastern Mediterranean as a signal of practical support to Athens, which has reportedly caused some annoyance to the German government, although the Elysee assures that there is “no fundamental disagreement” between Paris and Berlin.

Erdogan, despite his harsh words, appeared ready for dialogue, but added that he expects “steps” from his interlocutors “in order to reduce tensions.” “France is a Mediterranean power,” Macron said in an interview with Paris Match, adding that his country has no “unambiguous relationship with Turkey.”

“I am one of the few European leaders who have welcomed Erdogan in recent years, in Paris, in January 2018. I was criticized by many. He is undoubtedly one of the foreign leaders I have talked to the most. I personally went to Istanbul in September 2018 and I took the initiative for a joint meeting of France, Germany and the United Kingdom with Turkey, in London, in December 2019,” reminded the President of France.

Source: CNA / ANA MPA / AFP

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