France and Turkey want more Syria talks

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Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed convergence on the need to pursue "close dialogues" in order to end hostilities in Syria and handle the Cyprus crisis, the French presidency said Saturday in a statement.

During Friday's phone conversation, both leaders agreed that "deep and intense exchanges will continue in the coming days on Syria," the statement said.

Macron also "recalled the strategic importance of our partnership with Turkey, especially on the fight against terrorism and in addressing all regional crises, as well as our attention to Turkey's security interests," it said.

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan walk during a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Jan. 5, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Differences tainted the two NATO allies' diplomatic ties after Ankara launched, in January this year, a military offensive to eradicate Kurdish insurgents in Afrin, northern Syria, near Turkish borders.

As a major critic to the operation, Macron warned Turkey of the risks of an "invasion" that "poses a real problem" by "not respecting the Syrian sovereignty."

Macron reiterated France's "very clear expression of concern over the launch of the Turkish military intervention in Afrin and the need to allow full access to humanitarian aid to civilian populations."

And he said "top priority" should be given to the fight against the ISIL "which is for France a national security issue."

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Cyprus after Turkish warships blocked Cypriot offshore drilling in the east Mediterranean, further fueling tension between Cyprus and Turkey.

Macron "expressed his willingness to continue close dialogues with Turkey on the situation off Cyprus and in the Aegean Sea," according to the statement.

Erdogan told Macron that he was disturbed by claims about Turkey's military campaign in Syria's Afrin region that he said were baseless, a Turkish presidential source said on Friday.

Among Turkey's Western allies, France has been one of the biggest critics of the two-month-old Turkish military operation against the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin, which borders Turkey. Turkish forces stormed Afrin city on Sunday.

Erdogan also told Macron that the rights of Turkish Cypriots over hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean should be protected, the presidential source said.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency