Istanbul: Bagis Hopes For New Chapter In Turkish-French Ties

BAGIS HOPES FOR NEW CHAPTER IN TURKISH-FRENCH TIES

Today’s Zaman

Aug 31 2012
Turkey

Turkish EU Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Baðýþ has
stated that Turkey hopes that newly elected French President Francois
Hollande, who replaced Nicolas Sarkozy, will be objective and not
use Turkey’s EU accession target for domestic aims, adding that
Turkey expects to open a new chapter in Turkish-French ties in the
Hollande era.

“Turkey hopes and wishes to open a new page in Turkish-French relations
with the election of Hollande. In any case, it is the duty of the
French president and his team to meet our wishes. We cannot force
anyone to adopt a friendly attitude towards us. But any country which
is friendly to Turkey will receive Turkey’s friendship in return,”
said Baðýþ, speaking to Politique Internationale, a French journal.

Turkey had hoped that Hollande’s election might mean that France
would be more open to it joining the EU than under his conservative
predecessor Sarkozy, but has so far received no public support for
its EU bid from Paris.

The election of Hollande as president raised hopes for a new period
in Turkish-French ties, but after the Hollande administration included
a chapter about the 1915 mass killings of ethnic Armenians in Eastern
Anatolia in French secondary school textbooks, Turkish-French relations
were strained again.

“To summarize, the main goal of the new president should be France’s
national interests. Sarkozy’s opposition to Turkey’s full membership
in the EU and his veto of the five chapters, first and foremost,
harmed France’s interests,” said Baðýþ.

Turkish-French ties deteriorated sharply during Sarkozy’s rule, not
only because of the genocide debate but also due to the former French
leader’s outspoken opposition to Turkish membership in the EU. His
election defeat in June thus opened the door for a new era between
France and Turkey, with Ankara praising the new administration’s
willingness to restore ties. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan met
with Hollande on the sidelines of a UN meeting in Brazil, when the
two leaders agreed to turn a “new page” in relations.

Baðýþ added that Turkey expects Hollande to support Turkey not only
because of Turkey’s population of 75 million, but also because of
the French companies operating in Turkey.

“France has been an ally of Turkey for four centuries. However,
it should not be forgotten that 450,000 Turks and people of Turkish
origin live in France. Some of them are French citizens and they vote,”
said Baðýþ, adding that Turkish-French relations must be renewed.