On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called on the European Union to hold a discussion “without taboos” over its relationship with Turkey.
In a speech before the French Senate, Le Drian said “France considers it essential that the European Union quickly opens a substantive discussion, with nothing being ruled out, about the prospects for the future relationship between the EU and Ankara”.
Turkey has been seeking to join the European Union for over half a century, although its bid has faltered in recent years, particularly after the crackdown that followed a 2016 failed coup.
“The European Union must firmly defend its own interests, because it has the means,” Le Drian said.
His comments came two days after French President Emmanuel Macron launched a scathing denouncement of Turkey’s conduct in Libya. Macron accused Ankara of playing a “dangerous game” that could no longer be tolerated.
Libya has been marred in violence between competing forces, militias and extremists since the toppling and killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez al-Sarraj, and the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, have been waging war on each other for control of the country.