Erdogan escalates the rhetoric towards the French president, describing him as" incompetent"

In a new escalation of the Turkish-French controversy over the eastern Mediterranean crisis, which took a personal character between the two countries' presidents, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday described his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron as "incompetent."Show more

Erdogan and Macron exchanged insults for months after they took contradictory positions on several conflicts, ranging from Libya and other regions in the Middle East, to Turkey's dispute with Greece over the maritime borders.

Next week, the European Union will discuss the issue of imposing sanctions on Turkey, in response to its sending exploration vessels and warships to regions in the eastern Mediterranean, which Greece and Cyprus demand.

Turkish-French differences in regions of the world

The hostility between the two presidents has been growing since Macron warned in November that NATO's lack of response to the Turkish military operation in northern Syria revealed that the alliance was suffering from "brain death."

During an online meeting of his ruling "Justice and Development" party, Erdogan said that Macron's logic in holding Turkey responsible for the region's problems is not working.

He asked, while listing the countries that support Turkey and France as warring parties in them, "If Turkey withdraws from Syria, will peace be achieved in Syria?"

He added, "Some people ask why Turkey is in Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean ... If Turkey gives up everything, will France be able to get rid of the chaos created by the ambitious and incompetent person who heads it, and adopt a policy based on logic?"

Turkey supports the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli in its war against the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar stationed in eastern Libya.

It has long been suspected that France favors Haftar, but Paris officially denies this.

The intensity of the conflict escalated after France sent naval vessels to the eastern Mediterranean last month, to assist Greek warships in the face of any Turkish threat.

Erdogan said that the European Union has been dealing with "double standards with us for a long time." "With the support of our country, we will continue to do everything that is good, right and beneficial," he said.

In a second speech, Erdogan announced that his country, which may face European sanctions, will not bow to "the language of threat." He said, "Our partners have understood that the language of threat will not reach anywhere and that Turkey will not be subject to extortion and lootin