Emmanuel Macron: "There will be attempts to interfere" by Turkey in the presidential election (Illustration) -

Jacques Witt / SIPA

President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday warned against Turkey's “attempts to interfere” in the next French presidential election in 2022, without however closing the door to an improvement in relations with Ankara, which have been appalling for more than 'a year.

“Obviously.

There will be attempts to interfere with the next election.

It is written, and the threats are not veiled ”, declared Emmanuel Macron, questioned within the framework of a documentary of the program Cdans l'Air of the television channel France 5 on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Interference in the German election

Referring to the burning controversy on the religious question, triggered after his speech in the fall on "Islamist separatism", the President of the Republic castigated "a policy of state lies relayed by the press organs controlled by the state Turkish ”, as well as“ by certain large chains controlled by Qatar ”.

Erdogan has already been accused of electoral interference, especially in Germany, when he asked German-Turkish voters to vote against Angela Merkel's party in 2017. “We have to be very lucid,” continued Emmanuel Macron , whose relations with his Turkish counterpart were extremely strained before a thaw began a few months ago.

No "animosity towards Turkey"

“I have noted since the start of the year Erdogan's desire to re-engage in the relationship.

I want to believe that it is possible ”, declared the French president, defending himself of any“ animosity towards Turkey ”.

“But I think you can't re-engage (a relationship) when there are ambiguities.

I do not want to re-engage in a peaceful relationship if there is behind such maneuvers that continue, ”he said.

Bilateral relations deteriorated with the Turkish offensive in October 2019 against Kurdish forces in Syria, allies of the West.

Turkish interventionism in Libya, in the eastern Mediterranean (where an incident between Turkish and French buildings in June 2020) and French policy against Islamic extremism then deepened antagonisms between Paris and Ankara.

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  • Recep Tayyip Erdogan

  • Presidential election

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Turkey