Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed on Sunday his solidarity with French President Emmanuel Macron, who was recently at the receiving end of insults by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Personal insults against President Macron and hate speech targeting France by the Turkish leadership is unacceptable,” Mitsotakis said on Twitter.
He added: “It fuels religious hatred and undermines peaceful coexistence. Full support and solidarity to @EmmanuelMacron and the French people, still mourning a heinous crime.”
Personal insults against President Macron and hate speech targeting France by the Turkish leadership is unacceptable, fuels religious hatred and undermines peaceful coexistence. Full support and solidarity to @EmmanuelMacron and the French people, still mourning a heinous crime.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) October 25, 2020
Mitsotakis was responding to Erdogan’s weekend tirade against Macron, saying on two occasions on Saturday and Sunday that the French leader needs mental treatment.
Erdogan has been particularly incensed by a campaign championed by Macron to protect France’s secular values against radical Islam, a debate given new impetus by the murder of a teacher who showed his class a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed.
#Turkey's President Erdogan says French president @EmmanuelMacron needs a mental treatment.
With his incessant speeches targeting #France, Erdogan is bent on stoking tensions in French Muslim community by depicting French President as enemy of Islam. pic.twitter.com/5i6KfjTpWs
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 24, 2020
“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,” Erdogan said in a televised address in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri.
“What’s the problem of the individual called Macron with Islam and with the Muslims?” Erdogan asked.
“Macron needs mental treatment,” Erdogan added.
His comments prompted France to recall its ambassador in Ankara.
On Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on Turkey “to stop this dangerous spiral of confrontation.” Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called Erdogan’s outburst a “new low” for the Turkish leader.
On Monday, Erdogan continued his attacks on France, calling for Turks to boycott French products.
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