The personal feud between Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is developing into a long-term geopolitical rivalry between France and Turkey, a report said.
The presidents clashed over a series of issues including Libya, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean and cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
At the height of their quarrel last year, Mr Erdogan suggested that the French leader needed mental help over his attitude towards Muslims.
Germany this week sought to offer a European olive branch to Turkey, telling Ankara that it could send a positive signal to the EU by pulling its troops out of Libya.
But a report by the French Institute of International Relations said it was unrealistic to expect improved relations with France because “Macron vs Erdogan is a fight both leaders want ahead of elections in their countries”.
Mr Macron is up for re-election in 2022 and faces a potential rematch with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. Mr Erdogan’s next election is in 2023.
The IFRI report said the political rift was “gradually turning into a long-time geopolitical rivalry” in which France sees itself as a defender of Europe.
Mr Erdogan’s assertive behaviour evokes images in France of a “powerful Turk as a historical competitor, challenger, and even enemy of the West”, the report said.
“Hence, Erdogan is essentially portrayed as a threat and a danger for France and Europe.”
The IFRI analysis described the stand-off as a geopolitical contest for influence in the Eastern Mediterranean.
France last year increased its military presence in the region and took part in exercises with Italy, Greece and Cyprus.
It accused Turkey of playing a “dangerous game” in Libya, where one of the two warring governments was heavily backed by Turkish troops and Syrian fighters sent by Ankara.
A unity government took office in Libya in March, and Turkey is now under pressure to withdraw its forces from the country.
France fears Turkish influence in the Mediterranean
IFRI said that Turkey’s use of proxy warfare risked giving Ankara an advantage over Paris in their geostrategic rivalry.
“Turkey acquired in Syria its first experience in asymmetrical, proxy warfare,” the report said.
“It has since then attempted to replicate this experience on other fronts (Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh) through mobilising non-state groups and militias to advance its interests and political agenda.
“Paris is concerned that this is becoming a cost-effective way for Turkey to maintain a presence on several fronts and multiply its power of disruption, while at the same time avoiding military overstretch.”
IFRI said France’s aims in Libya were to restrain Turkey’s regional ambitions, preserve French influence in North Africa and contain the spread of political Islam.
Mr Macron launched a fierce defence of France's secular values against radical Islamic extremism after the beheading of a school teacher last autumn.
After Mr Macron defended the publication of cartoons considered blasphemous by Muslims, Mr Erdogan called for a boycott of French goods.
“What can one say about a head of state who treats millions of members from different faith groups this way: first of all, have mental checks,” Mr Erdogan said.
Efforts to cool tensions between Europe and Ankara led to EU leaders agreeing in March to provide more money for refugees hosted by Turkey.
Mr Erdogan said in April that Turkey was committed to EU membership, although efforts to improve ties were set back by a bizarre row involving President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen being relegated to a sofa on a visit to Ankara.
Germany Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday that relations were improving but it was up to Ankara to press its case for closer ties.
Asked what more Germany could do for Turkey’s longstanding efforts to join the EU, Mr Maas said: “Turkey can contribute the most.”
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0DJemma%20Eley%2C%20Maria%20Michailidou%2C%20Molly%20Fuller%2C%20Chloe%20Andrews%20(of%20Dubai%20College)%2C%20Eliza%20Petricola%2C%20Holly%20Guerin%2C%20Yasmin%20Craig%2C%20Caitlin%20Gowdy%20(Dubai%20English%20Speaking%20College)%2C%20Claire%20Janssen%2C%20Cristiana%20Morall%20(Jumeirah%20English%20Speaking%20School)%2C%20Tessa%20Mies%20(Jebel%20Ali%20School)%2C%20Mila%20Morgan%20(Cranleigh%20Abu%20Dhabi).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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How Beautiful this world is!
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More on Quran memorisation:
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)