TURKEY, FRANCE AND SARKOZY
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 14 2011
Turkey’s relations with France throughout history have had many ups
and downs. There are numerous linkages between these two countries
that are not always adequately articulated. For instance, one of the
greatest French thinkers was Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Did you know that Rousseau’s father was looking after the Ottoman
palace’s clocks in the Sublime Porte? Indeed, from 1705 to 1711
Rousseau’s father, Isaac Rousseau, who was a watchmaker, served the
Ottoman sultan in Istanbul. Turkey and France established diplomatic
relations in 1525, and this bilateral diplomatic relationship
constitutes one of the oldest diplomatic relationships in history. If
we move on to the more recent past we see that there is a strong
economic dimension to Turkish-French relations. France is one of the
greatest investors in the Turkish economy. French moviegoers follow
Turkish cinema closely, not to mention the more than 5,000 words we
have imported from French.
These linkages, be they in the economic, cultural and even political
field, suffered an immense blow in 2007 when Nicolas Paul Stéphane
Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa — that is his full name — was elected
president of the French Republic. The rise of Nicolas Sarkozy to the
French presidency has dramatically altered the atmosphere between
our nations. Within a very short time the French president became the
personification of European opposition to Turkey’s bid to join the EU.
He argued vehemently that Turkey was not part of European identity
from the past to today. Worse, he frequently employs discriminatory
and Islamophobic language vis-a-vis Turkey.
Of course one reason behind Turkey bashing a la Sarkozy is that there
is almost no cost for French domestic politics in doing so. Despite
the 500,000 Turks who live in France, they wield little political
influence. On the other hand, the well-established Armenian community
projects much more influence than its numbers would suggest. So, when
President Sarkozy started preaching to Turkey about the unfortunate
events of 1915 in Yerevan last week and urged Turkey to revisit its
history, even the French press was blunt about Sarkozy’s timing,
which was described as “calculated provocation” aimed at wooing the
Armenian vote in France.
Despite the war on Muammar Gaddafi and the hastily arranged visit of
Sarkozy and Cameron just one day before Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan was scheduled to be in Libya, public opinion polls in France
are not looking good. Although it is still too early to write Mr.
Sarkozy off, he does seem to be in genuine trouble. According to a
recent Economist piece, 68 percent of respondents told a Viavoice
poll that they do not want Sarkozy to be re-elected. Undoubtedly,
Turks would be extremely happy to see him lose, but there is plenty
of time left in the campaign.
Of course should he lose and Merkel be pushed out of the German
chancellorship there could be a remarkably different picture at hand
in the heart of Europe. Turkey’s EU membership aspirations could get
an unexpected boost, but I do not think anyone is betting on this
right now.
Under the leadership of Sarkozy, France has come to represent the
essence of opposition to Turkish interests. This opposition was
not limited to blocking Turkey’s negotiation process, but is visible
wherever Turkey’s growing power and influence can be observed. Ranging
from North Africa to the Levant, from the Balkans to the Caucasus,
Sarkozy’s France seems to be operating in a sort of “contested
neighborhood” framework. It is self-evident that France loses from
this staunchly anti-Turkish approach. Sarkozy’s roots go back to the
Ottoman city of Salonika. He is a descendent of the Mallah family.
“Mallah” means messenger or angel in Hebrew. Sarkozy has been no
angel to Turkey. His legacy is likely to remain one of greatest
disappointments to what could have been a mutually beneficial
Turkish-French partnership.