Turkey insists on apology from France over naval standoff

Turkey’s defence minister said Friday his country still expects an apology from NATO ally France over a naval standoff in Mediterranean Sea that prompted Paris to suspend its involvement in a NATO naval operation.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar claimed that France has yet to submit technical data to NATO to support its claims that a Turkish warship escorting a cargo vessel suspected of involvement in arms trafficking to Libya used targeting rar to illuminate French frigate Courbet.

“We are still awaiting an apology from our French allies,” Akar said at an event at Istanbul’s Bogazici University. “We won’t allow m to close (this incident) and will follow it until end.”

minister’s comments came days after White House national security viser Robert O’Brien said United States was “very sympatic” to France in dispute with Turkey. O’Brien said it was “t good” for NATO allies to use ir rars to illuminate each or.

France said it was acting on intelligence from NATO that civilian cargo ship could be involved in trafficking arms to Libya. Courbet was part of Western military alliance’s operation Sea Guardian, which helps provide maritime security in Mediterranean.

Turkey has accused France of lying, and insists that French navy h acted aggressively against Turkish convoy.

“t only was French vessel t harassed, French vessel performed a very dangerous maneuver against an vancing Turkish convoy of three ships, by speeding in between m at 20 kts,” Akar said.