France still applies a colonial mindset to its Middle East policy, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Sunday, citing the French president’s latest visit to Lebanon and his statements after the explosion in the port that devastated Beirut.”It is in fact a reflection of France’s policy of destabilizing the region,” Çavuşoğlu told the Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview. “France considers this area as a competitive arena, unlike Turkey. Everyone should help out as we do too.
The senior diplomat further said that France’s opposition to Turkey also stems from its colonial mentality as Ankara’s influence in the former colonial regions of Paris increases. “This is why France is not comfortable with us. They even closely follow our companies in Africa, and French pro-France newspapers in Algeria report on Turkish companies every two weeks, ”he added.
Speaking to the Daily Sabah, Vice President Fuat Oktay said France was interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs. “What France accuses Turkey of is its own guilt. Equally determined in the field of psychology, France’s accusations against us reveal its own subconscious, ”said Oktay.
“Do you know why France is panicking? They established a colonialist structure in the region after World War I. When we started to take an interest in the region, in Africa, they started to get confused. However, our relations with the region are based on a win-win principle. The same goes for economic relations. We are not asking for anything in exchange for the humanitarian aid we provide, ”said the vice-president.
After the end of French colonialism in Africa in the 1950s and 1960s, France exercised a strong hold over its former dominions, using military might to install rulers in return for French companies securing lucrative contracts – a policy dubbed the ” francafrique ”.
Oktay explained that Turkey’s intensification on the ground and improved relations with old friends have led to the reshaping of France’s colonialist mentality.
“Lebanon is facing a country that is ready for any kind of support without asking for anything in return after being confronted with a mentality (France) that despises them and exploits the country’s resources. The difference between two helping countries is the state of mind of colonialism, ”Oktay continued.
Speaking to French broadcaster BFM TV during his visit to Lebanon, Macron made questionable statements regarding Turkey’s efforts to help devastated Beirut. Macron said that if France does not play its role, “that is to say of a power which believes in multilateralism and believes in the interests of the Lebanese people, other powers could interfere whether it is Iran , Saudi Arabia or Turkey ”.
France, once an important player in the Middle East and North Africa, has gradually lost its sphere of influence with its former colonies declaring its independence and withdrawal from the Levant. Conversely, Turkey has become a game-changer in the region.
Visiting the explosion-ravaged Beirut this week, the French leader comforted distraught crowds, vowed to rebuild the city and claimed the explosion had pierced the heart of France. “France will never let go of Lebanon,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. “The hearts of the French always beat to the rhythm of Beirut.”
Critics have denounced the overtures as a neocolonialist foray by a European leader seeking to restore power to troubled Middle Eastern land – and said they were used as a distraction from growing problems at home.
France’s ties to Lebanon date back at least to the 16th century, when the French monarchy negotiated with the Ottoman rulers to protect Christians – and ensure their influence – in the region. When Lebanon was under French mandate from 1920 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire until its independence in 1943, it secured a network of French and French-speaking schools that survives to this day – as well as France’s relations. with Lebanese power brokers, some of whom are accused of fueling its political and economic crisis. Macron is still viewed by some with suspicion as the leader of Lebanon’s former colonial power.
In Paris, Macron’s internal political opponents, from far left to far right, have warned the centrist leader against rampant neocolonialism and extracting political concessions from Lebanon in return for aid. “Solidarity with Lebanon must be unconditional,” tweeted Julien Bayou, leader of the People’s Green Party on August 6.
“France does not determine the policy of Turkey”
Saying France shouldn’t be taken seriously, Oktay said Macron is trying to prove himself in the region. He also said that Turkey was so large and so deeply rooted that it did not need France’s support. “We will not plan our foreign policy according to Macron,” Oktay added.
Ties between France and Turkey, NATO allies, have deteriorated in recent months over Libya, as well as over the conflict in northern Syria and drilling in the eastern Mediterranean. Animosity escalated in June after an incident between Turkish and French warships over an attempted inspection of a ship suspected of smuggling arms to Libya.
In an attempt to rally the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey for its role in Libya and its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, France in July called on EU foreign ministers to meet to discuss ” the Turkish question ”, claiming that further sanctions against Ankara could be considered.
Ankara, however, said that “France, which has no coast in the eastern Mediterranean, must understand that acting as a coastal country does not give it the right to decide regional issues.
On November 27, Turkey and Libya signed two separate pacts, one encompassing military cooperation and the other the maritime borders of the two eastern Mediterranean countries. France responded, however, by doubling down on its criticism of Turkey’s activities in the eastern Mediterranean.
Oktay stressed that Turkey openly declares its policies and has no secret agendas. “Therefore, no one should be disturbed by Turkey’s activities in the region and in the Eastern Mediterranean. Unity makes us stronger. Turkey is not in the region for competition but rather to help it develop and protect its own interests. “
https://www.fr24news.com/a/2020/08/f...cials-say.html