France’s attitude ignoring Turkey’s legitimate rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and supporting maximalist ambitions hampers peace and stability while raising tensions in the region, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated Tuesday.
The ministry further urged French President Emmanuel Macron in a written statement to end steps risking the security and future of Libya, Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean, and instead to use established dialogue channels.
“French President Emmanuel Macron calling Turkey’s support for the legitimate government in Libya a ‘dangerous game’ can only be explained with abdication of reason,” the statement of the ministry said.
It highlighted that France has significant responsibility for Libya’s drift into chaos, playing the actual “dangerous game” in Libya.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry’s statement comes after Macron on Monday accused NATO member Turkey of playing a “dangerous game” with regard to Libya which could threaten the whole region.
Tensions have risen over the last year between Paris and Ankara, notably when the French leader said the lack of NATO response to a Turkish anti-terror operation in northern Syria showed the alliance was undergoing “brain death.”
The Ankara-Paris strains soared further last week when France denounced an “extremely aggressive” intervention by Turkish ships against a French Navy vessel participating in a NATO mission in the Mediterranean, a claim Ankara dismissed as “groundless.” Macron described this as proof of his concern for NATO.
