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The Turkish Foreign Minister accused Emmanuel Macron on Thursday of supporting terrorism. Turkey did not appreciate the French president's words against his recent offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer
During a press conference at the Elysee with the Secretary General of NATO on Thursday, Emmanuel Macron criticized Ankara for its lack of " solidarity " and consultation with its Western allies. The French president has accused Turkey of " jeopardizing " the fight against the Islamic State group with its recent offensive in Syria. It targeted a Kurdish militia considered a terrorist by Ankara, while being a key partner of the anti-jihadist coalition.
A few hours later, the head of the Turkish diplomacy Mevlüt Cavusoglu sharply criticized Emmanuel Macron that he described as " sponsor of a terrorist organization ". And the Turkish minister accused the French president of wanting to create a " terrorist state " in northern Syria by supporting these Kurdish forces.
Same story in the ranks of the ruling party, the AKP. Its spokesman, Ömer Çelik, has named Emmanuel Macron as the one " that Turkey's anti-terrorist struggle bothers the most " and as "the one who has most often received terrorist leaders ". A reference to the visit to the Elysee of a spokesman for Syrian Kurdish forces the day of the launch of the Turkish operation.
This pass of arms comes as Turkey announces that it will return in early December eleven French members of the Islamic State group she arrested in Syria.