Turkey extends drilling in Mediterranean in response to Macron’s statements
ISTANBUL, Turkey (North Press) – Turkey accelerated to extend the mission of the eastern Mediterranean oil drilling ship, Oruc Reis, until mid-November, in a new step of escalation after the recent French statements.
French President Emmanuel Macron denounced Turkey’s behavior in Syria, Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean, accusing it of being aggressive towards its NATO partners.
Macron’s statements came on October 31, in televised interview to the Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV channel during which he spoke about several issues, including the French position on the continuation of the Turkish interventions in a number of areas, including Syria and Libya.
“Turkey has an aggressive attitude towards its NATO allies,” Macron said.
At the same time, he denounced Turkey’s behavior in Syria, Libya and the Mediterranean.
Macron expressed his country’s willingness to cool things down, calling on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to “respect France and the European Union and their values, not to tell lies and not to insult.”
He described Turkey’s intervention in Syria as an aggression against its NATO partners.
“Ankara has not respected the weapons embargo in Libya, while it showed very aggressive behavior in the eastern Mediterranean,” he stated.
“Turkey has an imperialist tendency in the region, and I think these tendencies are not a good thing for its stability,” he added.
“France continues to send messages to the Turkish side, especially as the EU is approaching the implementation of sanctions against Turkey at the end of this year,” Obayda Abu Omar, a Syrian journalist, said.
“France became an obsession that haunts Turkey as a country with its own word and decision in the European Union,” he said.
“The policy of escalation will further complicate the Turkish position and increase its international isolation,” Abu Omar added.
While Mustafa Mehmet Naimi, a Turkish political analyst, said that France continues to consider the countries of the Middle East as reserves and should be belonging to it.
“That’s why it’s trying to race against time to get into the Syrian issue and annoy Turkey,” he told The North Press.
“France considers that it is outside the decision of the international system, and fears the Turkish ascent, so it is sometimes mired in declarations of implicit anti-Turkey, but the goal of the Muslims in fact, in order to invest the concept of its people to the risks of the return of Turkey’s power,” he said.
“In the foreseeable future, Turkey’s responses to Macron’s statements will be political only,” Naimi added.
During his interview with al-Jazeera, Macron condemned Turkey’s behavior in Syria, Libya, and the Mediterranean, describing it as a shock and aggression towards NATO allies.