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ANKARA: France to mend fences with 'Turkish season'

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  • ANKARA: France to mend fences with 'Turkish season'

    France to mend fences with 'Turkish season'

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    March 1 2008

    After a long period of deterioration in its ties with Turkey, France
    is now hoping to build bridges of friendship with Ankara by holding a
    "Turkish season" next year.

    The first meeting of a joint Turkish-French committee in charge of
    organizing the Turkish season was held earlier this week in Paris.

    The Turkish season will begin in July 2009, right after elections
    for the European Parliament, and will continue until March 2010.

    Exhibitions, concerts and other activities promoting Turkey will take
    place throughout this period. Many of the activities are expected to
    be held in Lille in northern France. A ship departing from Turkey's
    Aegean province of Ýzmir will visit Marseilles and other French
    cities as part of the activities. The CEO of the French company AXA,
    Henry de Castries, and former Turkish Ambassador Necati Utkan will
    co-chair the committee organizing the events.

    Ties with France have deteriorated sharply in recent years over a
    French Parliament decision to recognize Armenian claims of genocide
    at the hands of the Ottoman Empire and subsequent attempts to
    criminalize denial of the alleged genocide. Ties are also strained
    over French President Nicolas Sarkozy's outright objection to Turkey's
    accession to the EU. Sarkozy proposes instead the establishment of a
    "Mediterranean Union" of countries with close ties with the EU and
    says Turkey should join this club. Ankara rejects any proposal short
    of full EU membership.

    01.03.2008

    Ali Ýhsan Aydýn Paris

    --Boundary_(ID_vr6aa+/6H/hmxduZnYKyiA)--
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