![Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron at a news conference in Istanbul, Oct. 27, 2018 (AP photo by Lefteris Pitarakis).](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/l_turkey-france-eastern-mediterranean-gas-09092020-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
French President Emmanuel Macron has clearly decided to up the ante in a standoff with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, where France is backing Greece and Cyprus in their dispute with Ankara over natural gas reserves and maritime boundaries. First, Macron ordered a temporary reinforcement of French aerial and naval assets to the Eastern Mediterranean in mid-August, in response to Turkish ships resuming controversial gas exploration activities south of Cyprus. Then, he went as far as to frame his actions as a “red line policy” in order to show President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he meant business. Although France’s military […]