Renewed tensions between Paris and Ankara over Libya and Cyprus

The relations between French President E. Macron and his counterpart RT Erdogan were already very little diplomatic in recent months, both on the subject of the Turkish intervention in northern Syria and the policy of fait accompli that is trying to implement the Ottoman authorities around the huge gas field discovered near Cyprus, and which depends on the independent part of the island, member of the European Union. But in recent days, tensions have taken a new step, when the French president openly accused RT Erdogan of not respecting his commitments in Libya, by fueling the conflict with mercenaries drawn from pro-Turkish militias in Syria.

In recent months, Paris and Ankara have faced each other on several issues. Already in March 2018, France opposing a Turkish intervention in northern Syria to protect its Kurdish allies from the YPG, the Turkish authorities had published the positions of the French special forces deployed in the area, posing a renewed risk to these forces and provoking the anger of the French authorities. But it's the intervention of the Turkish armed forces against these same allies of the French YPG in northern Syria, following the withdrawal of American forces announced by D. Trump, which really ignited the powder, even if several statements by the Turkish President had already aroused the annoyance of the French authorities. During the NATO summit in December 2019, E. Macron openly criticized the alliance not to take action against Turkey when the latter had acquired Russian-made S-400 air defense systems. To which President Erdogan responded with Ad Hominem attacks against the French president and his wife, which led to the summons of the Turkish ambassador to Paris.

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