Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday lashed out at a French reporter who asked him about claims that Ankara sent arms to Syria.
Erdogan told the journalist he was talking like a member of an outlawed group blamed for 2016’s failed coup in Turkey.
At a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after their talks in Paris, the reporter asked the Turkish leader about a story from 2015 in the Cumhuriyet newspaper, which allegedly proved Turkey had sent weapons to Syria through the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT).
Erdogan has always pinned the scandal on the exiled US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.
The Turkish government blames Gulen for the failed coup and accuses him of running a group it calls the Fethullah terror organization (FETO). Gulen denies the charges.
“Those are the words of FETO. You should learn not to speak with the words of FETO,” Erdogan told the journalist after asking him to repeat the question.
The journalist could be heard insisting in French: “I am speaking as a journalist.”
“When you ask your questions, be careful on this point and do not speak with the words of another,” the Turkish leader said.
“And I want you to know, you do not have someone before you who will easily swallow this,” Erdogan added.
“Those who carried out those operations [intercepting MIT trucks] were Gulenist prosecutors. Now they are in prison,” Erdogan said icily.
In an apparent reference to US arms supplies to Syrian Kurdish militia that have angered Turkey, he added: “You ask me that question, but why don’t you ask me why the United States sent 4,000 trucks with arms to Syria? You are a journalist, right? You should have looked into that as well.”
Without confirming the incident, Erdogan said that the MIT had “every right” to carry out its operations.
Macron earlier at the conference said that political developments in Turkey were effectively blocking its EU accession bid, suggesting a “partnership” instead of full membership.
“For relations with the European Union, it is clear that recent developments and choices allow no progress in the process,” Macron said.
“I’d be lying if I said we could open new chapters,” he said in reference to the accession process.
“We have had a very honest discussion on this subject,” Macron told reporters, saying that both sides needed to leave “hypocrisy” behind in pretending the process was moving forward normally.
“I hope we can take up a peaceful dialogue that would allow us to build a relationship which is essential in my eyes, both for ourselves and for the region,” Macron added.
Turkey has been seeking to join the EU for decades, but leaders both at home and in Europe have expressed increasing doubts over the progress following mass arrests and sackings after the failed coup.
More than 140,000 people have been sacked or suspended, accused of links to Gulen.
More than 55,000 officials, security force members, judges, academics, journalists and advocates have been arrested since the coup, which has been accompanied by a crackdown on pro-Kurdish activists.
“Democracies must fully respect the rule of law,” Macron told Erdogan.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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