What Erdogan and Macron Discussed: French Foreign Minister States No More Insults

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has stated that Turkey's rhetoric is now much more confidence-inspiring, but until specific concrete steps are taken, bilateral relations will remain vulnerable, reports ermenihaber.

NATO members France and Turkey have faced ongoing issues recently due to disagreements over Syria, Libya, and the Eastern Mediterranean region. However, in February, the two parties announced plans to undertake certain steps towards rectifying their bilateral relations.

On March 2, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a video conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, during which they emphasized the existing "serious prerequisites" for bilateral cooperation and confirmed their desire to work together on security and other issues.

After the video conference, Le Drian addressed a parliamentary session in France, stating, "There are no more insults; the statements are more confidence-inspiring." He noted that positive signals have been received from Turkey regarding the suspension of exploration activities in the Mediterranean and the resumption of Turkey-Greece negotiations.

Referring to issues concerning Libya, Iraq, and Nagorno-Karabakh, the French Foreign Minister highlighted that relations remain vulnerable due to the extensive list of disagreements. Nevertheless, he expressed France's desire for healthy relations with Turkey.

However, the French official emphasized that for now, there are only words and statements, and concrete steps are necessary to allow for a proper assessment.