US EditionTurkey’s Erdogan Grabs France’s Macron and Won’t Let Go at European Summit
- During the European Political Community summit held in Tirana, Albania on May 17, 2025, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unexpectedly grasped a finger of French President Emmanuel Macron in a moment that attracted widespread attention.
- The incident occurred amid diplomatic tensions between France and Turkey over NATO enlargement and responses to Russia's war in Ukraine.
- Macron tried to assert dominance by placing his hand on Erdogan's shoulder while Erdogan resisted by holding Macron's finger tightly before releasing it seconds later, leading to laughter.
- The viral video sparked widespread discussion online, with Turkish media and others calling Erdogan's hold a "power move" that countered Macron's attempt at psychological superiority.
- The incident highlighted the underlying friction between the two NATO members and offered a public example of their conflicting stances on geopolitical issues during the summit.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Strange handshake: Between Erdogan and Macron, a wordless power game developed in front of running cameras.
Why Are So Many World Leaders Refusing To Let Go of Macron's Hand?
I don’t mean to make a federal case out of this, I’m just saying it’s SUPER weird! World leaders are recently grabbing ahold of French President Macron’s hand (or sometimes finger) and simply refusing to let go. Watch here: The Deep State tried to assassinate Erdogan. Putin saved him. Erdogan is showing Macron who is now in control.pic.twitter.com/T0FqmaYpo6 — Dr Russell McGregor (@KillAuDeepState) May 18, 2025 And here: FRANCE? Emmanuel Macro…
At a summit in the Albanian capital Tirana, there was a strange handshake of the two heads of state Erdogan and Macron.
Erdogan made it clear to Macron that the "trick will not work" with him — Pushkov: EADaily
EADaily, May 19th, 2025. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that such a trick as familiarity will not work with him, said the Senator of the Federation Council of the Republic of Moldova Alexei Pushkov.
The clip, which lasted about 13 seconds, caused a sensation, with social media users commenting that Erdogan wanted to send a clear message of dominance.
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