After the criticism of France's head of state Emmanuel Macron on the Syrian invasion of Turkey, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has certified his colleague's "brain death". "Let's check your own brain death first," Erdogan said in a speech to Macron.
This had in a controversial statement of NATO, among other things because of the internationally criticized offensive of Turkey against Kurdish militias in northern Syria attested the "brain death". Macron accused Ankara of an "uncoordinated, aggressive" approach to the offensive, affecting the security interests of all NATO states.
Erdogan now said, "Such remarks only apply to people of your kind who are in a state of brain death." Erdogan plans to attend the NATO summit in London next week. In advance, a meeting with Macron, Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the Turkish invasion of Syria is planned. The use against the Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) had met with broad criticism from the NATO partners.
France responded promptly to Erdogan's words and ordered the Turkish ambassador to Paris. The Elysée Palace said it was responding to the insults of Erdogan. "We expect a clarification from President Erdogan," quotes the news agency Reuters a representative of the French Presidential Office.
Erdogan to Macron: "Nobody pays attention"
Like Germany and the United Kingdom, France had restricted supplies of arms to Ankara because of the Syrian operation. The three EU states fear that the offensive will weaken the fight against the terrorist militia "Islamic State", in which the YPG plays an important role.
In addition to the US, France also supports the Syrian Kurdish militia with special forces in the fight against the jihadists. Mevlüt Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, accused Macron of funding for a "terrorist organization" and receiving it regularly at the Elysée Palace. Macron must not forget that France must be Turkey's Nato member to the side, said Cavusoglu.
Erdogan was in his speech several times personally: "Nobody pays attention to you," he said to Macron. "You are still inexperienced, work on it first." The French President does not pay his NATO contributions properly and understand nothing of the anti-terrorist fight, said Erdogan. Therefore, the protest movement of the so-called yellow vests in France have spread.