Turkey Summons French Charge D'Affaires Over Controversial Charlie Hebdo Caricatures

ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2020) The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the French charge d'affaires at the country's embassy in Ankara on Wednesday following the publication of controversial caricatures depicting Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, in the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, sources in the ministry told reporters.

On Tuesday evening, Charlie Hebdo unveiled the cover of its latest edition, which depicts a character purporting to be Erdogan sitting half-naked with a can of drink, lifting the dress of a woman that appeared to serve him the beverage. Officials in Ankara have slammed the magazine and have pledged to take diplomatic and legal action.

"The charge d'affaires of France in Ankara was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where he was made known of the condemnation towards the Charlie Hebdo cartoon," the source said.

Charlie Hebdo published the cartoon amid a worsening of relations between Ankara and Paris following comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron on radical islam and the publication of caricatures depicting the Islamic prophet Mohammad.

Macron has said that he will continue to support the publication of such caricatures following the death of teacher Samuel Paty near Paris on October 16. Paty was beheaded by a man of Chechen origin after he reportedly showed caricatures depicting the Islamic prophet during a class. The French president has also pledged to take tougher action against extremists.

Prior to Charlie Hebdo's publication of its latest edition, Erdogan had already called for a boycott on French goods following Macron's comments.