Turkey regrets French leader's remark targeting country

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA

Turkey on Tuesday regrets French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks targeting the country and its EU membership process, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We deplore some of Macron's remarks about our country and the EU membership process," Hami Aksoy said in a statement.

During the Ambassadors Conference in Paris on Monday, Macron had questioned Turkey's EU membership.

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's project is pan-Islamic and contrary to our European values," Macron said.

Macron stated that there is a need to build partnership with Turkey and Russia instead of granting the EU membership.

"We need to build a strategic partnership with Russia and Turkey, because they are two important powers for our collective security, they must be tied to Europe," Macron stated.

"President Erdogan's Turkey is no more President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's Turkey", he added.

Aksoy said that French leader's remarks showed that he can't understand facts and that Turkey did its full share of work for the security of Europe.

Macron’s “Turkey is anti-Europe” remark does not reflect the reality, the spokesman said.

With the new presidential system, he emphasized, more powerful, democratic and secular Turkey is determined to proceed on its way to the full membership to EU.