Tweet
FRENCH MINISTER TO VISIT TURKEY FOR TALKS ON DEFENCE TIES, SYRIA
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 18 2013
18 March 2013, Ankara: French Defence Minister Jean-Yves le Drian
is scheduled to visit Turkey for talks with his Turkish counterpart,
Ismet Yilmaz, from March 28, focusing on defence cooperation between
the two countries as well as the two-year-old Syrian crisis.
The two defence ministers are expected to discuss key issues related
to defence cooperation between the two NATO allies, especially the
issue of tenders in the defence industry. Le Drian's two-day visit
will take place at the invitation of Yilmaz.
French companies have suffered badly in regards to defence industry
tenders as a result of political bickering between Ankara and Paris
during the last 10 years over the recognition of mass killings of
Armenians in 1915.
Ankara earlier vowed to impose sanctions against France over a
controversial piece of legislation that was overturned by the French
Constitutional Council which would have made it illegal to deny
that the deaths of ethnic Armenians in 1915 at the hands of Ottomans
was genocide.
The latest situation in Syria, Mali and Afghanistan will also be
among the issues to be discussed between the two countries.
With no end in sight to the two-year-old conflict in Syria, France
is one of the countries that have started to defend the arming of
the Syrian opposition, asking for the lifting of a ban on sending
weapons by the EU.
Last week, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France and
Britain will ask for an EU meeting to lift the embargo, possibly by
the end of the month. The current embargo expires in May.
in remarks to French media, Fabius claimed that ending such an arms
embargo would be useful in preventing the further consolidation of
groups affiliated with al-Qaeda among the ranks of the armed Syrian
opposition.
France, which has recently withdrawn its forces under NATO command in
Afghanistan, is maintaining the ground and air operations it launched
in the West African country of Mali to break the islamist rebels' hold
in the country. UN troops and forces from African-based organizations
also support France in its military mission.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 18 2013
18 March 2013, Ankara: French Defence Minister Jean-Yves le Drian
is scheduled to visit Turkey for talks with his Turkish counterpart,
Ismet Yilmaz, from March 28, focusing on defence cooperation between
the two countries as well as the two-year-old Syrian crisis.
The two defence ministers are expected to discuss key issues related
to defence cooperation between the two NATO allies, especially the
issue of tenders in the defence industry. Le Drian's two-day visit
will take place at the invitation of Yilmaz.
French companies have suffered badly in regards to defence industry
tenders as a result of political bickering between Ankara and Paris
during the last 10 years over the recognition of mass killings of
Armenians in 1915.
Ankara earlier vowed to impose sanctions against France over a
controversial piece of legislation that was overturned by the French
Constitutional Council which would have made it illegal to deny
that the deaths of ethnic Armenians in 1915 at the hands of Ottomans
was genocide.
The latest situation in Syria, Mali and Afghanistan will also be
among the issues to be discussed between the two countries.
With no end in sight to the two-year-old conflict in Syria, France
is one of the countries that have started to defend the arming of
the Syrian opposition, asking for the lifting of a ban on sending
weapons by the EU.
Last week, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France and
Britain will ask for an EU meeting to lift the embargo, possibly by
the end of the month. The current embargo expires in May.
in remarks to French media, Fabius claimed that ending such an arms
embargo would be useful in preventing the further consolidation of
groups affiliated with al-Qaeda among the ranks of the armed Syrian
opposition.
France, which has recently withdrawn its forces under NATO command in
Afghanistan, is maintaining the ground and air operations it launched
in the West African country of Mali to break the islamist rebels' hold
in the country. UN troops and forces from African-based organizations
also support France in its military mission.