OREANDA-NEWS. President of France Emmanuel Macron said that the recent incident with the ships of France and Turkey in the Mediterranean Sea proves the “brain death” of NATO.

According to the politician, Ankara’s behaviour does not correspond to its status of a member of the North Atlantic Alliance. “I bring you back to my statements at the end of last year about the “brain death” of NATO. I believe that the recent incident clearly demonstrates this,” the French leader said during a joint press conference with the Tunisian President Kais Saied. Macron also stressed that stability in the Mediterranean is a crucial issue.

The incident, which was commented by Macron, occurred earlier in June off the coast of Libya. The Turkish frigate did not allow the crew of the French ship, which took part in the NATO’s operation Sea Guardian, to inspect its cargo. Evading search, the Turkish frigate took aim at the French vessel; in Paris it was considered to be aggression.