In a face-to-face meeting held between Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın and French Presidency Special Respernattive Gilles Kepel in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, the two officials discussed the situation of the Turkish and Muslim community living in France, rising Islamophobia and xenophobia in Europe, the fight against terrorism, the Ukraine war and bilateral relations.
According to a statement by Ankara, the current situation of the Turkish and Muslim communities in France and the problems they experienced were discussed during the meeting. It was stated that rising anti-Islam, xenophobia and racism should be fought resolutely.
Turkey has frequently said that Western countries insist on not taking measures against growing anti-Islam sentiment and called on Turkish institutions to take action on issues related to Muslims and Turks in these countries. Some European countries, particularly France, have embraced a hostile stance against Muslims in recent years.
"It was stated that the war must end as soon as possible so that the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine does not deepen further. While emphasizing the importance of the mediator role played by our president (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) in this process, Turkey was thanked for its efforts towards peace," the statement added.
Maintaining its neutral and balanced stance, Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing the Turkish Straits.
NATO ally Turkey borders Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Having called Russia’s invasion an unacceptable violation of international law, Turkey has carefully formulated its rhetoric not to offend Moscow, with which it has close energy, defense and tourism ties.
Unlike Europe, Turkey has not closed its airspace to Russian planes but Erdoğan said Turkey has done "whatever was necessary within United Nations rules." He added that Turkey had been providing support for Ukraine "despite Russia" and more than other NATO countries, sending more than 50 trucks of humanitarian aid.