France-Turkey tensions easing but Europe remains cautious, President Macron claims

The French leader Emmanuel Macron has said “tensions have eased” between Paris and Ankara after relations became frayed over the past few months amid a war of words with Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

“Tensions have eased in recent weeks,” Macron said to reporters during a news conference on Friday, addressing France’s relationship with Turkey.

The French president said that his government and other European nations “will continue to be vigilant throughout the summer”, while hoping that they will be able “to reengage in joint work” with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The comment comes after the two nations have spent months engaging in a war of words, with France accusing Turkey of interfering in its upcoming presidential election and Ankara questioning Macron’s mental state over his comments about “Islamist separatism.”

This is not the first time France has suggested progress has been made to repair relations with Turkey, having said in March that the insults have stopped but action is needed to establish friendly contact.

Turkey and Western countries have been seeking to normalize relations following the French dispute, with a road map being produced by the two sides.

Back in May, Berlin expressed optimism that relations between the EU and Turkey are set to improve in the coming months after 2020 proved to be a “difficult year.” German foreign minister Heiko Maas said that the EU has made clear it’s “interested” in addressing the damage and ensuring “this year looks to be a much better one.” 

Like this story? Share it with a friend!