India deplores personal attack on French President; describes language unacceptable

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday displayed solidarity with France and deplored personal attacks on President Emmanuel Macron by terming it as ‘violation of the most basic standards of international discourse’.

“We strongly deplore the personal attacks in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron in violation of the most basic standards of international discourse," MEA asserted in a statement.

“We also condemn the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher in a gruesome manner that has shocked the world. We offer our condolences to his family and the people of France. There is no justification for terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance,” MEA added.


France is one of closest strategic partners of India and is expanding strategic partnership across Indo-Pacific region.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan joined Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday in criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron for his recent comments on Islam.

“This is a time when President Macron could have put a healing touch and denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarization and marginalization that inevitably leads to radicalization,” Khan wrote on Twitter.

His criticism of Macron follows days after the French president dedicated a high-level ceremony to Samuel Paty, a teacher who was beheaded for showing students caricatures of the Prophet.

Earlier Erdogan slammed France and Europe on Saturday over what he saw as “rising Islamophobia.”

“What problem does this person called Macron have with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level,” Erdogan said in a speech at a provincial congress of his Justice and Development (AK) Party in the central Turkish city of Kayseri.

Paris condemned Erdogan’s remarks as “unacceptable,” adding that it was recalling its envoy to Ankara to discuss the matter