Published 04:26 IST, October 26th 2020
France withdraws ambassador from Turkey after Erdogan questions Macron's mental state
Turkish President stirred controversy on Oct 24 as he said Macron required mental health treatment after the French President commented on “Islamist separatism”
France has reacted to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements about French President Emmanuel Macron by recalling its ambassador to Turkey for consultations. In addition to the controversial remarks about Macron, Erdogan also made other contentious comments that the French government is reported to have deemed unacceptably rude.
'Hateful and slanderous propaganda against France'
As per reports, the Turkish President stirred controversy on Saturday as he said Macron required mental health treatment after the French President made several comments about the problems created by radical Muslims in France and the practice of “Islamist separatism”. These statements were made by Erdogan while he was attending his Justice and Development Party meeting in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri.
The French government responded hours later to Erdogan's provocative statements condemning the "excess and rudeness" and said, “We are not accepting insults”. In addition, the French government also urged Erdogan to change his policy which they deemed as dangerous in all aspects. France also slammed Erdogan for not offering condolences for the French school teacher who was beheaded in Paris for reportedly showing some caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in the classroom.
French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian, in a press release, stated that the French Ambassador to Turkey would return to Paris by October 25 and that Erdogan’s words against the French President and other comments tantamount to "hateful and slanderous propaganda against France."
This incident and insults by the Turkish President come at a time when tensions between the two NATO allies are already high due to disagreements over several issues like the fighting in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. In addition, France has also supported Greece in its dispute with Turkey amid tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Updated 04:26 IST, October 26th 2020