Tweet
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)--
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)--