French FM questions Turkey’s reliability in ISIS war

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—In the wake of an failed coup to oust the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, France’s foreign minister has raised questions about Turkey’s reliability as a partner in the coalition fighting the Islamic State.

“There are questions that are being asked and we will ask them. It [Turkey] is partly viable, but there are suspicions as well. Let’s be honest about this,” said Jean-Marc Ayrault, speaking to France 3 television. 

Ayrault described Turkey as an ally with a strategic role based on its border with Syria, but added he would raise his concerns at a meeting of the anti-ISIS coalition in Washington next week. 

Paris quickly tried to minimize the impact of the minister’s assertion. A French diplomatic official said Ayrault had not meant to bring into question Turkey’s reliability in the ISIS war and stressed that Turkey is a key ally. 

This is not the first time Ayrault has been outspoken in recent days. Following the announcement that former London mayor and Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson was named the UK’s foreign secretary, Ayrault called him a liar who misled the British public during the contentious EU-membership referendum. 

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