Tensions between EU and Turkey escalate over Erdogan insults

BRUSSELS (AP) — Tensions between the European Union and Turkey have risen further after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan questioned the mental state of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

Several EU officials harshly criticized Erdogan's comments over the weekend and the bloc's executive arm, the European Commission, said on Monday that the Turkish leader should change his approach if he does not want to derail the bloc's attempts at renewed dialogue with his country.

Erdogan said Saturday that Macron needed his head examined. He made the comments during a local party congress, apparently in response to statements Macron made this month about problems created by radical Muslims in France who practice what the French leader termed “Islamist separatism.”

In an unusual move, France announced Saturday it was recalling its ambassador for consultations. The French presidential office noted as well that Turkey had called for a boycott of French products.

The move, if taken to heart, could add a layer of economic ramifications to the deepening diplomatic tussle.

Erdogan added on Sunday that the French leader has “lost his way.”

The spat comes as tensions between France and Turkey have intensified in recent months over issues that include the fighting in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, a region within Azerbaijan that is controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists.

In a message posted on Twitter Sunday, the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, slammed Erdogan comments as “unacceptable” and urged Turkey to “stop this dangerous spiral of confrontation.”

European Council President Charles Michel blamed Turkey for resorting to “provocations, unilateral actions in the Mediterranean and now “insults."

At a summit earlier this month, EU member...