Turkey said today, Wednesday, that the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he warned of Ankara´s intention to influence the upcoming presidential elections in France, were "unacceptable."
"Certainly. There will be attempts to interfere in the upcoming elections. This is written and the threats are not implicit," Macron said, referring to Turkey, as part of a documentary broadcast on French television channel France 5.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded in a statement, "We find that these statements contrary to the spirit of friendship and alliance are unacceptable."
She added, "Turkey does not care, as far as France´s domestic policy is concerned, only the prosperity and happiness of about 800,000 Turks living in this country."
Macron´s accusations come as Turkey tries to calm its strained relations for years with European countries, including France.
Relations between the two countries, which are members of NATO, deteriorated due to the Syrian conflict, Libya, and the eastern Mediterranean.
The differences deepened last fall, turning into confrontations between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart.
Erdogan questioned Macron´s mental health in particular, accusing him of "anti-Islam" because of his adherence to the principle of freedom to publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, after a teacher was killed by beheading in France.
The Turkish ministry indicated Wednesday that "while we seek to end tensions to restore peaceful and friendly relations, we consider Mr. Macron´s statements regrettable and inconsistent."
But Macron also said in the program, "We need a dialogue with Turkey," referring to its role in curbing the flow of refugees to Europe.
