The Turkish foreign minister called on Paris to apologize for what he considered “wrong” information regarding a maritime accident that occurred between the two countries in the Mediterranean.
“We expect France to apologize and to apologize unconditionally,” said Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, born in Berlin. “It is not acceptable for France to make false assurances and move against Turkey,” he added.
This comes after Paris accused Ankara of targeting one of its frigates participating in a NATO naval security operation in the Mediterranean.
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The Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, previously confirmed at the end of last month that allegations that Turkish ships were exposed to a French ship in the Mediterranean “had nothing to do with the truth.”
Akar said at the time: “When checking information, documents, and records on our ships and our military bases, it becomes clear to us that these allegations are completely unconnected to the truth.”
France, on the other side, suspends its role in NATO naval mission over tensions with Turkey.
He pointed out that they shared all the documents with the Allied countries, military and civilian officials at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stressing that these documents show the validity of what Turkey says.
Akar stressed that the Turkish navy personnel, from the beginning, expressed a constructive and cooperative attitude and provided the French ship – at their request – with fuel.
Akar told The Eastern Herald in a statement, “Turkey has always fulfilled its duties in NATO to the fullest.”
Akar said: “We expect some of our allies to act in harmony with the spirit of cooperation and within the framework of rules, and not by fabricating agendas aimed at serving political interests.”
Earlier, the French Defense Ministry officially claimed in a statement to the media in July that the Turkish navy intercepted a French ship that was participating in NATO missions in the Mediterranean.
In turn, Turkish military sources confirmed to The Eastern Herald, the allegations are false, and revealed that the warship was refueling from the Turkish side before the alleged incident.
