. | . |
'Verbal ceasefire' between France, Turkey: Paris By Val�rie LEROUX Paris (AFP) June 18, 2021 A "verbal ceasefire" is in place between France and Turkey after months of rancorous exchanges that strained the relations of the NATO allies, the French foreign minister said Friday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron met on the sidelines of the NATO summit this week, following the rows on international crises such as Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh that led to bitter personal diatribes from the Turkish leader. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told BFM television that he welcomed the change in tone but said it had to be matched by more concrete steps from Ankara. "There is a kind of verbal ceasefire. That's good but it's not enough," he said. "The verbal ceasefire does not mean acts, and we expect Turkey to act on sensitive subjects," he said, citing Libya, Syria and also the Eastern Mediterranean, where France has backed EU members Greece and Cyprus angry over Turkish advances in the waters. Le Drian also said France was particularly eager to work with Turkey over Libya, where Ankara sent troops backed by thousands of Syrian militia forces to bolster the UN-backed government. "We will see if President Erdogan has changed more than just his words but also his actions," Le Drian said. Macron warned earlier this year that Turkey would try to meddle in France's 2022 presidential election. He has suggested that Ankara's unilateral moves on the international stage and its purchase of S-400 air defence missile systems from Russia have contributed to a "brain death" of NATO, where Turkey is a key member. A new law against Islamist extremism the French government introduced after a series of attacks also aroused Erdogan's ire, with the Turkish leader accusing France of Islamophobia. Erdogan last year said Macron needed "mental checks" and expressed hope that France would "get rid of" Macron as soon as possible. But there have been tentative signs of easing tensions in recent months, with Erdogan keen to strengthen links with Turkey's Western partners at a time of growing economic difficulties at home compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. In another sign of warming ties, France this week removed Turkey from its red list of countries off-limits for non-essential travel, effectively allowing fully vaccinated French tourists to holiday there. At the NATO summit in Brussels, Erdogan also held his first talks with Joe Biden as US leader, though he indicated no plans to abandon the deployment of the Russian S-400 missiles.
Draghi distances Italy from Russia, China to return to West's fold Rome (AFP) June 17, 2021 Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi has clearly aligned his country with the EU and the Atlantic alliance, with strongly worded messages at the recent G7 and NATO summits that end his predecessors' ambiguous position towards Russia and China. After years in which Italy's populist and far-right parties cosied up to autocratic regimes in Moscow and Beijing, Draghi's comments return Italy to the West's democratic fold. For the former European Central Bank (ECB) chief, a veteran of Goldman Sachs an ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |