Tweet
FRENCH PRES. BEGINS TWO-DAY VISIT TO TURKEY
Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
January 27, 2014 Monday
| PARIS, Jan 27 (KUNA) -- French President Francois Hollande on Monday
began a two-day "State visit" of Turkey, the first French leader to
visit that country in more than two decades.
Hollande officially begins the visit Monday afternoon after an
invitation by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and it is hoped the
voyage will improve often difficult relations between the two nations.
The French leader will face questions from the Turkish leadership over
France's strong opposition to Turkish adherence to the European Union.
Hollande's predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy was one of the staunchest
opponents of Turkish membership of the EU and it was also under the
Sarkozy presidency that the French Parliament voted a law that not
only confirmed accusations of Turkish genocide against the Armenian
people in 1915, but also sought to make it a criminal offence to deny
the historical truth of the genocide.
Turkey rejects the Armenian claim that 1.5 million of its people were
killed by the Turkish army and says the figure is greatly exaggerated.
France's top court blocked the Armenian Genocide Law, but the affair
led to very strained relations between Paris and Ankara and a freezing
of some ties.
Diplomatic sources said Hollande will be seeking to repair the damaged
ties and he is accompanied by seven ministers and three dozen business
leaders in a bid to promote better political and economic relations.
But Hollande is unlikely to move significantly on the EU issue and
will certainly deflect the question to Brussels, where exploratory
talks on Turkish membership have resumed.
Both nations, which are members of NATO, will also discuss security
issues and the regional situation and Paris and Ankara have close
views on the conflict in Syria and the dramatic consequences for the
region and the need for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down.
Turkey has taken in large numbers of Syrian refugees and the ongoing
talks on the Syrian conflict in Geneva will provide a backdrop for
Franco-Turkish discussions on Monday.
After initial, separate meetings with Gul and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday, and the signature of several
bilateral accords, Hollande will head to Istanbul to continue the
visit on Tuesday. The focus on day two will be on economic issues.
The last French President to visit Turkey was Socialist President
Francois Mitterrand in 1982.
Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
January 27, 2014 Monday
| PARIS, Jan 27 (KUNA) -- French President Francois Hollande on Monday
began a two-day "State visit" of Turkey, the first French leader to
visit that country in more than two decades.
Hollande officially begins the visit Monday afternoon after an
invitation by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and it is hoped the
voyage will improve often difficult relations between the two nations.
The French leader will face questions from the Turkish leadership over
France's strong opposition to Turkish adherence to the European Union.
Hollande's predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy was one of the staunchest
opponents of Turkish membership of the EU and it was also under the
Sarkozy presidency that the French Parliament voted a law that not
only confirmed accusations of Turkish genocide against the Armenian
people in 1915, but also sought to make it a criminal offence to deny
the historical truth of the genocide.
Turkey rejects the Armenian claim that 1.5 million of its people were
killed by the Turkish army and says the figure is greatly exaggerated.
France's top court blocked the Armenian Genocide Law, but the affair
led to very strained relations between Paris and Ankara and a freezing
of some ties.
Diplomatic sources said Hollande will be seeking to repair the damaged
ties and he is accompanied by seven ministers and three dozen business
leaders in a bid to promote better political and economic relations.
But Hollande is unlikely to move significantly on the EU issue and
will certainly deflect the question to Brussels, where exploratory
talks on Turkish membership have resumed.
Both nations, which are members of NATO, will also discuss security
issues and the regional situation and Paris and Ankara have close
views on the conflict in Syria and the dramatic consequences for the
region and the need for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down.
Turkey has taken in large numbers of Syrian refugees and the ongoing
talks on the Syrian conflict in Geneva will provide a backdrop for
Franco-Turkish discussions on Monday.
After initial, separate meetings with Gul and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday, and the signature of several
bilateral accords, Hollande will head to Istanbul to continue the
visit on Tuesday. The focus on day two will be on economic issues.
The last French President to visit Turkey was Socialist President
Francois Mitterrand in 1982.