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

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

    BAGIS HOPES FOR NEW CHAPTER IN TURKISH-FRENCH TIES

    Today's Zaman
    http://www.todayszaman.com/news-290999-bagis-hopes-for-new-chapter-in-turkish-french-ties.html
    Aug 31 2012
    Turkey

    Turkish EU Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış 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 Bağış, 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 Bağış.

    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 Erdoğan met
    with Hollande on the sidelines of a UN meeting in Brazil, when the
    two leaders agreed to turn a "new page" in relations.

    Bağış 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 Bağış, adding that Turkish-French relations must be renewed.

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