Vaggelis Sarakinos: Macron picks up Erdogan’s gauntlet – Show down in NATO

New friction has accrued on the already tense relations between Paris and Ankara, with President Macron determined to open a debate within NATO on Turkish provocations. Following yesterday’s statements by the French president, an Elizée official reiterated today the accusations against Turkey’s increasingly “aggressive” and “unacceptable” role in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean.

Moving along the same lines as Macron’s angry outburst after Turkish bellicose behavior against a French frigate, the French presidential official directly accused Turkey of violating the embargo imposed by the UN, in northern Libya, and of increasing its naval presence there.

Speaking to Reuters, the French official described Turkish interventions as “problematic”, noting that, despite France’s efforts, “the situation is stagnating” and Ankara is increasingly taking a more aggressive stance. This is unacceptable, the official reiterated, using the exact same word as President Macron.

NATO issue

He noted that this provocation could not be continued by a “supposed partner” and when asked how the French president planned to react, he made it clear that in the coming days Paris would hold talks with Ankara and other NATO partners.

Macron’s intention to raise the issue with the Alliance was also underscored by yesterday’s announcement from the French presidency, stating that the French president also discussed the proclivities of Ankara with his American counterpart. A good opportunity for that, of course, is the meeting of NATO defense ministers, which is scheduled for this week.

French criticism of Turkey, however, comes as Erdogan consolidates Turkey’s military presence in Libya, backing the government of Tripoli, led Sarraj, who has Turkish roots . A government that, although not yet in power in the southern districts of the capital, is recognized by the UN and the international community.

Paris has been accused of supporting, at least politically, the powerful man in eastern Libya, Khalifa Haftar, to whom it had previously provided military assistance in the fight against Islamist militants. France denies this, but its relations with Turkey are already strained by Ankara’s military action in Syria, Turkey’s policy of illegal drilling in the eastern Mediterranean and, more recently, its aggressive military presence in Libya.

Erdogan wants bases in Libya

For his part, Erdogan said that Paris supports Egypt’s and the UAE’s ally Haftar, and said earlier this month that he was upset by France’s help to Sarraj’s rival. However, the Turkish president’s goal is to establish military bases in Libya and, as it became known, the relevant discussions have already begun.

In fact, a Turkish source said today that no final decisions had been made, but discussed the possibility of the Turkish army using the naval base in Misrata and the air force base in Al-Owatiya, which was recently recaptured by Tripoli government forces with the help of Turkey.

The issue of Turkey’s provocation in the Mediterranean was also raised at a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, which was also attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. At the end of the session, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stressed that the ministers had expressed their concern and agreed on the need for de-escalation.

Is the EU concerned?

Pompeo’s involvement, of course, raised some questions, and when Joseph Borel was asked about it, he replied that the US Secretary of State “takes into account the situation in the Mediterranean, but mainly in relation to the situation in Libya.” The European official also stressed that “the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean is deteriorating” and spoke of complaints from Athens and Nicosia about Turkish drilling near their shores.

At the same time, he referred to the events of the last few days, which, although he did not name them, it is clear that this is a harassment of the European power that participates in Operation IRINI. An issue that Merkel is silent on, despite the fact that the European operation was decided on at the Berlin conference, which she wanted to hold at all costs.

The unique reaction of Berlin came today (16 June) from the representative of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Andebar, who stated that the German government appeals to all those involved “to stop the transfer of weapons and fighters” to Libya! Especially for the provocative harassment by the Turkish frigates, she said that “the data will be gathered, which will be forwarded to the United Nations experts, where an assessment of what happened and the legal aspect” of the issue will be made.

However, the head of European diplomacy left open the possibility of developments in EU-Turkey relations, stressing that the next Foreign Affairs Council will address this issue and that European ministers “will take into account” all aspects of the complex relationship . It is noted that all the Turkish provocations towards Greece were raised by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who attended the Summit in Paris, where he had earlier met with his French counterpart Le Drian.