By Janet Ekstract
BRÜKSEL (TURKISH JOURNAL) – On the first official day of the NATO Summit, world leaders had plenty of opportunities to meet their counterparts for more personal and tete-a-tete meetings. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with French President Emmanuel Macron who after meeting Erdogan, tweeted that his desire is to “move forward” with a demanding and respectful relationship between the two. Both leaders had an opportunity to meet privately – their first meeting since Macron raised Erdogan’s ire after he announced that Islam was in crisis in October. France had even recalled the Turkish ambassador after Erdogan reacted by questioning Macron’s mental health.
At the Summit, Macron and Erdogan made a concerted effort to be conciliatory. The Elysee Palace reported the leaders discussed issues about Libya and Syria. Previously, Macron had accused Turkey of recklessness in increasing its military presence in Libya and in bringing jihadi fighters from Syria. It was also reported that Macron made it clear that secularism in France respects all religions including Islam. Macron had previously requested a “clarification” in response to harsh criticism from Erdogan about Macron’s attitude toward Islam and Muslims. Erdogan’s comments were in response to the French government passing a bill to fight Islamic radicalism in France. Many Muslims in France and abroad viewed the bill as an attack on the Muslim community there since the bill provides for oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists while Macron had said, ensuring respect for French values.
