French President Emmanuel Macron should check his own “brain death” before describing NATO “brain dead”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday in a rebuff of the French leader.
“Look Mr. Macron, I am calling to you from Turkey, but I will tell you again at NATO. First, have your own brain death checked,” said Erdogan, slamming Macron over his remarks that Turkey should not expect NATO support for its anti-terror operation in northern Syria, anadolu news agency reports.
Erdogan was speaking days ahead of a summit of the NATO, which Macron said was experiencing “brain death” because of American unpredictability under President Donald Trump and strained ties with Turkey.
The Turkish and French presidents, who have traded criticism over Ankara’s cross-border offensive in northeast Syria, will be among NATO leaders meeting at a summit of the transatlantic alliance in Britain on Dec. 4.
“I’m addressing Mr Macron from Turkey and I will say it at NATO: You should check whether you are brain dead first,” Erdogan said.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Complex at Istanbul’s Marmara University, Erdogan said France has no right and authority to be in Syria.
“Neither has the [Syrian] regime invited you there,” Erdogan said, addressing the French leader.
“Expelling or not expelling Turkey from NATO […] Do you have the authority to make such a decision?” Erdogan added.
Erdogan went on to say that Turkey “will not hesitate” to carry out Operation Peace Spring, “if the threats to Turkey from the safe zone and beyond cannot be eliminated within a reasonable time.”
The French Foreign Ministry has reportedly summoned the Turkish ambassador to Paris.
Macron said in an interview three weeks ago there was a lack of strategic coordination between European allies on the one hand and the United States and Turkey, on the other. He has also decried NATO’s inability to react to what he called Turkey’s “crazy” offensive into northern Syria.
Turkey is refusing to back a NATO defense plan for the Baltics and Poland unless it gets more political support for its fight against Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria.
other sources: reuters
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