Türkiye has slammed French President Emmanuel Macron on Aug. 27 over his colonial past statements, Trend reports citing Hurriyet Daily News.
'It is extremely unfortunate that French President Emmanuel Macron, made statements targeting Türkiye, along with some other countries, during his visit to Algeria,' Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgic has said.
'It is unacceptable that French President Macron, who has difficulties in confronting his colonial past in Africa, especially in Algeria, tries to get rid of his colonial past by accusing other countries, including Türkiye,' he said.
'Türkiye, which encourages friendship, not hostility, and is among the strategic partners of the African Union, develops day by day its relations with both Algeria and other countries of the African continent, and these relations based on mutual trust and win-win principle, are progressing in a manner that respects the will of the countries themselves,' Bilgic added.
'If France supposes that there are reactions against it in the African continent, it should search for the source of these reactions in its colonial past and its efforts to still pursue this with different methods and it must try to repair it. To claim that these reactions are caused by the activities of third countries, instead of confronting and solving the problems related to their own past, is not only to deny a sociological phenomenon and history, but also reflects the distorted mentality of some politicians. We hope that France will reach as soon as possible the maturity to face its colonial past without blaming other countries, including Türkiye,' he said.