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Erdogan says Macron needs 'mental checks'; France reacts

WION Web Team
Istanbul, TurkeyUpdated: Oct 25, 2020, 12:15 AM IST
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Photograph:(WION)

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Macron's proposal to defend his country's secular values against radical Islam has angered the Turkish government, adding to a growing list of disputes between the French leader and Erdogan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday slammed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, over his policies toward Muslims, saying he needed "mental checks."

Macron's proposal to defend his country's secular values against radical Islam has angered the Turkish government, adding to a growing list of disputes between the French leader and Erdogan.

Erdogan said in a televised address: "What can one say about a head of state who treats millions of members from different faith groups this way: first of all, have mental checks."

France did not take this lightly, and said it was recalling its envoy to Turkey for consultations.

"President Erdogan's comments are unacceptable. Excess and rudeness are not a method. We demand that Erdogan change the course of his policy because it is dangerous in every respect," an official told AFP.

The Elysee official also said that France had noted "the absence of messages of condolence and support" from the Turkish president after the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside Paris.

Macron this month described Islam as a religion "in crisis" worldwide and said the government would present a bill in December to strengthen a 1905 law that officially separated church and state in France.

He also announced stricter oversight of schooling and better control over foreign funding of mosques.

(with inputs)