Hurriyet, Turkey
June 21 2012
New Page Opens in Turkish-French Relations
Thursday, 21 June 2012 13:21
Turkey has ended sanctions on France that were enacted after former
French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s attempted to pass a bill
criminalizing denial of the events of 1915 as genocide, Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu said today.
The move was based on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an’s orders,
DavutoÄ?lu said during an interview with private broadcaster CNNTürk.
“We can see that [newly elected President François] Hollande has the
will to work through problems,” DavutoÄ?lu said, defining the future of
Hollande’s presidency as a new page in bilateral relations.
Turkey had taken a series of harsh measures against France following
the French Senate’s approval last December of a bill criminalizing the
denial of genocide claims for the events of 1915. France’s
Constitutional Court then overturned the bill, preventing it from
becoming law.
Turkey recalled its ambassador to Paris and ended all bilateral and
international cooperation with France, including projects running
under the European Union. Military permits were also canceled and
ports were closed to French Navy ships.
Hurriyet Daily News
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress