Macron to Erdogan: Avoid any escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean

The president of France Emmanuel Macron called the president of Turkey today Recep Tayyip Erdoganwith whom he met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali, Indonesia, to avoid any re-heating of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and to have on a permanent basis the dynamics of de-escalation of the previous year.

As reported by the Elysee, during the meeting Ukrainian was discussed, where Emmanuel Macron expressed his great concern regarding Russia’s choices, while the two presidents reiterated the need to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Regarding the issue of the export of Ukrainian grain, the two presidents agreed that, in the interest of global food security, exports should continue both through the Black Sea and through European rivers.

The French president also emphasized that he is counting on her help Turkey in relation to dealing with any attempt to evade the sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia and Belarus. The issue of Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO candidacies was also discussed, with the French president stressing that he hoped the issue would end soon, which he said would contribute significantly to strengthening the Atlantic Alliance. Regarding the issues of the Caucasus, which were also the subject of consultation according to the Elysee, the French president called on the Turkish president to work towards the resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, while at the same time he was in favor of the normalization process of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Finally, the French president expressed his condolences to Recep Tayyip Erdogan and all the Turkish people regarding the terrorist attack in Istanbul and assured the Turkish side that France supports it in its fight against terrorism.