Emmanuel Macron’s support for Cyprus has upset Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President, and the latter has not hesitated to express his dissatisfaction.
The Turkish leader is upset at his French counterpart for supporting the island nation – and not Turkey, and for approving the arrest warrants that Cyprus issued on the crew of Fatih , the Turkish drillshi – in the dispute between the two countries over Turkey attempt to drill in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Cyprus.
Speaking to a journalist from Sabah, a Turkish daily whilst returning from a conference in Tajikistan, Erdogan expressed his dissatisfaction, saying that those who do not have any right to speak about Eastern Mediterranean issues – like the French – must refrain from doing so and not act as interlopers. He mentioned that while countries like the UK, Greece and Cyprus have all the right, being guarantors, to express their views, France has none, and therefore must keep out of the issue completely.
He concluded his statement by saying that anyone living in Cyprus are entitled to and must get equal shares and rights, regardless of their ethnic background.
