Saturday, October 24, 2020

Diplomatic Flap Between France and Turkey

France is outraged over the beheading of Samuel Paty, a teacher who showed Mohammad cartoons in his class. In Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is outraged that the French are outraged. Thus, diplomatic relations between France and Turkey are in trouble. The below article in Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/erdogan-denonce-l-attitude-de-macron-envers-les-musulmans-et-interroge-sa-sante-mentale-20201024

The Elysee denounces the "unacceptable" remarks of Erdogan against Macron

The Turkish president had called on his French counterpart to "have mental health exams", condemning his attitude toward Muslims. The Elysee (Palace) has reacted and brought up the "absence of condolence and support messages" from Turkey after the assassination of Samuel Paty.
-By Le Figaro with AFP-Published 45 hours ago, updated 14 minutes ago.

On Saturday, 24 October, the Elysee (Palace-Residence of French president) denounced the remarks, judged "unacceptable" of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called into question "the mental health" of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron because of his attitude towards Muslims.

Earlier this Saturday, during a televised speech, the Turkish president virulently criticized the decisions of his French counterpart towards the Muslim community. "All one can say of a chief of state who treats millions of members of different religious communities in this manner is: First go and have mental health exams, " he declared.

(The) speech was condemned by the Elysee at the end of the afternoon. "The remarks of President Erdogan are unacceptable. Excess and rudeness are not a method. We demand Erdogan change the course of his policy. It is dangerous to all. We do not enter into useless polemics, and we do not accept insults, the Elysee commented according to the AFP (Agence France Presse), in announcing the recall of the French ambassador to Ankara for consultations.

The Elysee also brought up "the absence of messages of condolence and support from the Turkish president after the assassination of Samuel Paty," the teacher beheaded a week ago is an Islamic attack in the proximity of his school in a Parisian suburb. Also noted (were) the "very offensive statements (of Recep Tayyip Erdogan) in these past days, notably his call for a boycott of French products."

The Turkish president did not stop there: He also predicted that Emmanuel Macron would lose the next presidential election in 2022, "because he has accomplished nothing for France. You spend your time (attacking) me. That will get you nothing."

Two weeks ago, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had denounced as a provocation the statements of the French president on "Islamist separatism" and the necessity of "structuring Islam" in France. A bill on the fight against "The separatisms" in France, aimed at radical Islam, should be presented at the beginning of December. It is aimed at reinforcing secularism and consolidating republican principles in France and includes several points likely to provoke tensions with Turkey, such as strengthened control of mosque financing or a ban on training imams abroad.

This dispute is added to a long list of disagreements between Emmanuel Macron and his Turkish counterpart, who regularly takes up the defense of Muslim minorities throughout the world. From the tensions in the Mediterranean to the conflict in Libya, to the clashes in Karabakh, a number of issues currently pit Paris and Ankara against each other.