Turkish President Erdogan slams 'brain dead' Macron over NATO comments

NATO is not to blame for France’s poor policy choices

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan 

ISTANBUL (Reuters / Sputnik) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on NATO reflect a “sick and shallow” understanding, telling the French man “you should check whether you are brain dead”.

President Erdogan was commenting in a speech in Istanbul about a remark made by Macron earlier this month saying NATO was experiencing “brain death”.

In an interview with The Economist in early November, French President Emmanuel Macron said that European countries could no longer rely on the United States to defend North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies, adding that "what we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO".

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday confronted Emmanuel Macron in Paris over the French president’s claim the alliance is suffering “brain death”, a charge that has set the stage for a testy NATO summit in London next week.

Addressing reporters after the talks, Macron said his damning assessment of NATO's crisis had been a "useful wake-up call" for the alliance.

But Turkish president said mr Macron should first check his own "brain death" before making such comments in reference to NATO. 

"I am talking to France's President Emmanuel Macron, and I will also say this to NATO. First of all, have your own brain death checked. These statements are suitable only to people like you who are in a state of brain death", Erdogan said in a televised speech.
Macron's 'Brain Death' Comment Unfair to NATO, French People

NATO is not to blame for France’s poor policy choices and increasing irrelevance within the organisation, Turkey’s communications director said on Friday.

"NATO can be more relevant and effective if we work together. To blame the organisation for one’s own foreign policy challenges, poor policy choices, increasing strategic irrelevance, and domestic consideration is unfair to NATO. It is unfair to the French people as well", Fahrettin Altun wrote on Twitter.

NATO can be more relevant and effective if we work together.

To blame the organization for one’s own foreign policy challenges, poor policy choices, increasing strategic irrelevance, and domestic consideration is unfair to NATO.
It is unfair to the French people as well.— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) 28 ноября 2019 г.

​Altun called for NATO states to pay greater attention to each others' national security issues.

"In every leaders’ summit, we put forward our recommendations and call on our fellow members to understand the national security concerns of Turkey", Ankara's communications director wrote in another tweet.