Erdogan accused Macron of having a ‘problem’ with Islam and with Muslims (File)
Istanbul:
Turkey said on Sunday it had offered condolences to France for the gruesome murder of teacher Samuel Paty after Paris disputed the claim.
France on Saturday said it was recalling its envoy to Turkey for consultations after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron needed a mental health check.
Erdogan accused Macron of having a “problem” with Islam and with Muslims for defending the right to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad – an act for which the French teacher was assassinated last week.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday accused Turkey of “trying to stir up hatred” against France and reiterated Paris’ disappointment that Turkey did not condemn the murder of France. teacher.
“Turkey, a country which has fought for years against all forms of terror and violence, was saddened by the murder of Samuel Paty,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Turkey’s sadness over the murder was conveyed to its high-level representative in France – Ambassador to Paris Ismail Hakki Musa, he added.
“Horrified by this atrocious murder of a teacher in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Nothing justifies it. My condolences to his relatives”, tweeted the Turkish ambassador in French on October 17.
Paty was beheaded by an 18-year-old Chechen for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad during a free speech class.
“Turkey’s sensitivity to terror does not discriminate against any language, religion, race or thought,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, criticizing French silence on the killing of Turkish teachers by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK ) prohibited.
France and Turkey disagree on a range of issues, including maritime rights in the eastern Mediterranean, Libya, Syria and the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Erdogan accused Macron on Sunday of being obsessed with him and renewed his call that the French leader needed mental controls.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
