French criticisms of the Turkish president’s handling of the case of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi crossed the line, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
"The French foreign minister went too far, and he has to know how to talk to a president," Cavusoglu said, accusing Jean-Yves Le Drian of not telling the truth.
"I know our intelligence service gave all the information, including wiretaps and transcripts, to French intelligence at their request on October24," the Turkish minister noted.
He stressed that Turkey gave evidence about the Khashoggi killing to several countries, calling Le Drian accusing Erdogan "rude."
Cavusoglu added that French officials could soon "deny Khashoggi was killed, which even Saudi Arabia has accepted."
"We will pursue the Khashoggi case to the end. We’re cooperating with everyone internationally," Anadolu Agency cited Cavusoglu as saying.
"As the whole world is praising Turkey’s stance, the French foreign minister’s accusations and rudeness are extremely puzzling. What’s behind this? Are they trying to cover up this killing?" he asked.
Yesterday, Le Drian claimed that - contrary to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements - France doesn't have recordings related to the Khashoggi killing, saying Erdogan was playing "a political game" over the case.
