The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, revealed that he had discussed with French President, Emmanuel Macron, Turkey’s intervention in Libya and its provocative activities in the eastern Mediterranean. He called on European countries to work with Washington, to convince Ankara that such actions are not in the interest of the Turkish people.
Pompeo said that the increased use of Turkey’s military capability was a cause for concern. In statements to the French daily newspaper ‘Le Figaro’, Pompeo added, “French President Emmanuel Macron and I agree that Turkey’s recent actions have been very aggressive.”
The US Secretary of State discussed “Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia as well as the military moves in Libya, and the eastern Mediterranean.”
Pompeo arrived in Turkey on Tuesday but is not scheduled to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This is a matter considered by Turkish officials as an ‘insult’. He is due to meet with a number of religious figures including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Greek Orthodox Christian leader. According to US officials, Pompeo will not travel to the capital, Ankara.