France To Withdraw Frigate From NATO Operation In Mediterranean - Turkish Ambassador

France to Withdraw Frigate From NATO Operation in Mediterranean - Turkish Ambassador

France will withdraw its Courbet frigate from NATO's operation in the Mediterranean following an incident involving a Turkish vessel, Turkey's Ambassador to Paris Ismail Hakki Musa said on Wednesday in a speech to France's upper chamber

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2020) France will withdraw its Courbet frigate from NATO's operation in the Mediterranean following an incident involving a Turkish vessel, Turkey's Ambassador to Paris Ismail Hakki Musa said on Wednesday in a speech to France's upper chamber.

Earlier in the month, France accused the Turkish military of aggressive behavior in response to the frigate's attempt to check a cargo vessel going to Libya with a Turkish naval escort. Ankara rejected the accusations claiming that a French ship had performed dangerous maneuvers. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg later said that the alliance was looking into the incident. Courbet was a part of NATO's Sea Guardian operation in the Mediterranean.

"The investigation has just finished. According to the information at my disposal, it has failed to reach a conclusion ... It seems that NATO experts have not arrived at the same conclusion. Yesterday, I received information that, it seems, Courbet frigate will be withdrawn from that NATO operation," the ambassador said.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of playing a dangerous game in Libya, claiming that Ankara's actions were in contradiction with the obligations taken at the Berlin conference. On his part, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said that such statements were "delirious."