French President Emmanuel Macron met on Monday in Brussels with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in order to “clarify” the many subjects of Franco-Turkish litigation in recent years, the Elysee said.

The tête-à-tête, "nourished and substantial" according to the presidency, lasted 45 minutes at NATO headquarters before the official start of the Alliance summit.

"The two heads of state were willing to discuss all subjects in depth," said the Elysee, indicating that they had expressed "the will to advance together on Syria and Libya", two of the subjects of divergence between them.

No unilateral operations

Emmanuel Macron also "recalled his desire for strategic clarification between allies on the values, principles and rules within NATO", according to the presidency. France and Turkey have displayed antagonistic positions on a number of subjects within NATO, which crystallized in particular in the eastern Mediterranean where Paris supported Athens in the face of Ankara's gas ambitions and where an incident opposed Turkish vessels and French in June 2020.

"When we are members of the same organization, we cannot decide to carry out unilateral operations which are contrary to the interests of the coalitions we have built," Emmanuel Macron lamented to the press on Thursday.

Their relations have also deteriorated sharply due to disagreements over Syria, Libya and more recently over the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorny Karabakh.

A "clarification on Islam"

In October, Recep Tayyip Erdogan questioned the "mental health" of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of leading a "campaign of hatred" against Islam, because he had defended the right to caricature the prophet Muhammad and for his speech against Islamist “separatism” in France.

During the interview, a "clarification was made on Islam," said the Elysee.

Regarding Fabien Azoulay, a Frenchman sentenced to 16 years in prison by Turkish justice for possession of narcotics, Emmanuel Macron asked his counterpart "to allow an accelerated transfer" to France, according to the presidency.

During a short trip to Istanbul in 2017 to make hair implants, Fabien Azoulay, 43, was arrested for having bought a vial of GBL, a solvent used as a stimulant, online.

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  • Emmanuel Macron

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