France clarifies Macron’s remarks on Greece, emphasising balanced approach toward Turkey

The French Foreign Ministry has issued clarifications on President Emmanuel Macron’s recent remarks in Athens, aiming to ease tensions with Turkey and highlight the balanced nature of French diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean.

During his 24-25 April visit to Athens, Macron stated that France would stand by Greece if its sovereignty were threatened. While the comments were widely seen in Greece as a strong reaffirmation of the bilateral strategic partnership and defence cooperation, they raised concerns in Ankara.

In response to questions at a press briefing, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux clarified that Macron’s statement was not directed against any specific country, particularly Turkey. He described it as a general expression of solidarity applicable to any European ally or partner facing a threat to its sovereignty.

Confavreux further noted that France had previously expressed similar support for Turkey when it faced threats from Iranian missiles, underscoring that Paris applies the principle of allied solidarity consistently rather than selectively.

The spokesperson also reiterated France’s support for direct dialogue between Greece and Turkey. He highlighted recent diplomatic engagements, including a phone call between Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 11 April and the French Foreign Minister’s recent visit to Ankara, as evidence of Paris’s commitment to maintaining open channels with Turkey.

The clarification came after a question from CNN Türk’s Paris correspondent, who raised Turkey’s concerns over France’s positions in various regional issues, including Libya, Syria, and the South Caucasus. Paris deliberately adopted a de-escalatory tone, rejecting any framing of its policy as confrontational toward Turkey and declining to comment on media interpretations of an “alliance against Turkey.”

On the Greek side, the response was measured. Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou told IBNA that the matter had already been addressed during Macron’s visit, signalling Athens’ desire to avoid public debate on the precise scope of French commitments.

The episode illustrates the differing perspectives on the Greek-French relationship. For Greece, the partnership serves as a vital pillar of deterrence and political backing in the Eastern Mediterranean. For France, ties with Athens are important but form part of a wider diplomatic strategy that seeks to balance support for Greece with pragmatic engagement with Turkey – a key NATO ally and regional player.

The French clarifications do not weaken the substance of Greek-French defence cooperation. They do, however, demonstrate Paris’s careful calibration of political messaging to support Greece without locking itself into open confrontation with Ankara. For Athens, this serves as a reminder that even strong strategic partnerships operate within broader and more complex diplomatic realities.

The original article in Greek by EUalive’s partner IBNA can be found here.

Caption: French President Emmanuel Macron (C), accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron (C-L), and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (C-R) greet people on their way to visit the exhibition ‘Looking for the East: Intersecting Paths of Archaeologists’, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Kallithea, a suburb of Athens, Greece, 25 April 2026. Presented by the French School at Athens and the National Library of Greece, the exhibition focuses on the history of French archaeology in Greece and the Levant. EPA/ALEXANDROS VLACHOS / POOL