Emmanuel Macron no longer sees Turkey as a partner in the Mediterranean

FRANCE / TURKEY. A few hours before going to the 7th Summit of the Southern countries of the European Union (MED7), Thursday 10 September 2020, Emmanuel Macron was very critical of Turkey. The strategy of this country in the Eastern Mediterranean will be at the centre of discussions at this informal meeting to be held in Porticcio, near Ajaccio, Corsica.

"It must be noted that Turkey is no longer a partner in this region", said the President of the French Republic during a press briefing in Ajaccio. He regretted "unacceptable agreements (of Ankara) with the Libyan government denying the legitimate rights of Greece" and judged "unacceptable" the Turkish explorations, in search of gas, in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus.

France and Turkey have been in a cold war for several months and show divergences on different issues: Syrian and Libyan conflicts, maritime border agreements and therefore gas exploration. And the small sentences become legions and play the bidding war between their two leaders.

Emmanuel Macron calls on Europeans to "be clear and firm with President Erdogan's government, which today is behaving in an unacceptable manner". But he does not close the door. "I hope that this afternoon's discussions (Editor's note: MED7 Summit) will enable us to make progress on a common position and my deepest wish is to re-engage in a fruitful dialogue with Turkey", the French President said.