Erdoğan urges cooperation against terrorism in Macron call ‘We can contribute to world stability’

TURKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron he wants their countries to cooperate to fight terrorism, as Ankara moves to ease tensions with Paris, Agence France-Presse reported.

The two leaders, who have clashed over a range of issues including the conflicts in Syria and Libya as well as the eastern Mediterranean, spoke in a video call for the first time since September.

According to a statement by the presidency, Mr Erdoğan told Mr Macron their countries “can contribute significantly to stability and peace” in Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Africa.

“There are also measures that we can take together . . . against terrorist organisations,” Mr Erdoğan said.

“Turkey wishes to cooperate with France in all these areas,” he said, adding that TurkishFrench

collaboration had “great potential”. The conversation comes after raised tensions between the two countries and heated exchanges between the two presidents, with Mr Erdoğan repeatedly suggesting that Macron get “mental checks” and urging the Turkish people boycott French-labelled products. On Tuesday Mr Erdoğan stressed that the FrenchTurkish “friendship” has “overcome numerous obstacles” since the 16th century during the reign of French king Francis I and Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. However the Turkish statement did not mention the fate of more than a dozen French teachers at İstanbul’s Galatasaray University whose work permits have been held up and who face the threat of expulsion due to the diplomatic spat.