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NATO must not bury its head in the sand with regard to Turkey’s recent behaviour towards its allies, a French defence ministry official said on Wednesday, accusing the Turkish navy of harassing a French warship on a NATO mission.

A senior Turkish official denied the accusation, saying “no such thing” had occurred, Reuters reported. 

NATO defence ministers will hold a virtual meeting this week amid growing tensions between Paris and Ankara. The two allies have traded barbs over the crisis in Libya, accusing each other of supporting opposing sides in the country’s war.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the French defence ministry official said it was time NATO had a frank discussion about Turkey and its conduct - not just in Libya, but other issues such as Ankara buying Russian S-400 defence systems and blocking NATO defence planning for the Baltics and Poland.

“We have known complicated moments in the alliance, but we can’t be an ostrich and can’t pretend there isn’t a Turkey problem at NATO. We have to see it, say it and handle it,” said the official. Calling Turkey’s behaviour unacceptable, the official singled out Turkey’s role in Libya,

Turkey, which backs the internationally recognised government in Tripoli, has secured a foothold in Libya by helping to repel an assault on the capital by the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia.