Macron urges respect of rule of law in talks with Erdogan

French President Emmanuel Macron meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Elysee Palace in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart on Friday that democratic countries had to respect the rule of law in their fight against terrorism as he voiced concerns about the fate of students, teachers and journalists in the country.

“Our democracies must be strong standing up to terrorism… But at the same time our democracies must completely protect the rule of law,” Macron said in a joint news conference with Tayyip Erdogan after talks in Paris.

Macron also said that recent developments in Turkey did not allow any progress in its EU accession process. It would be hypocritical to pretend new chapters in the accession talks could be opened, he said.