Turkey rejects Macron's 'unjust' election interference claim

Turkish Foreign Ministry has condemned President Emmanuel Macron's accusation that Ankara was attempting to meddle in the next French presidential election.

This file photo shows a general view of the Turkish Foreign Ministry building in Ankara.
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This file photo shows a general view of the Turkish Foreign Ministry building in Ankara.

Ankara has denounced recent remarks by the French president about Turkey and its leader, calling them “unacceptable."

"We find the statements by French President [Emmanuel] Macron, which he gave in response to the deliberate questions asked in the programme and are against the friendship and alliance between our countries, unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said in a written statement on Wednesday.

Aksoy also said “unjust and inconsistent” statements were made regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey.

During an interview aired on France5 TV channel on Tuesday, Macron claimed that Turkey was “attempting to interfere” in France’s next presidential election in 2022.

READ MORE: Erdogan: Turkey and France can contribute to peace efforts in the world

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Tense relations

Macron's comments extended his running feud with Erdogan, which has seen the two leaders trade barbs while opposing each other in regional conflicts.

The Turkish statement on Wednesday said Macron's "dangerous" comments threatened to alienate France's 800,000-strong Turkish community.

Turkey announced in January that Macron and Erdogan had exchanged personal letters, in what Ankara billed as an attempt to get relations back on track.

The Foreign Ministry said Macron's latest comments undermined Turkish attempts to mend ties.

“We think that those statements by Mr Macron are unfortunate and inconsistent at a time we take steps to replace the tension in the relations between the two countries with calm and friendship,” Aksoy said.

READ MORE: Turkey says talks with France to normalise ties going well

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