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Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 5 2013
France sending mixed signals in relations with Turkey
5 May 2013 /GÃ-ZDE NUR DONAT, ANKARA
Relations between Turkey and France have not made the progress many
expected over the past year, as negative signals continue to come from
France with regards to its lax attitude towards the terrorist
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its opposing stance to Turkey
regarding the Armenian question.
`Even though at the leadership level France is trying to improve
relations with Turkey, there is a de facto enmity in French political
circles in the senate. And one of the cards they play most frequently
against Turkey is the Kurdish question. Their stance is not objective
on that issue,' said a Turkish politician, who wanted to remain
anonymous, to Sunday's Zaman.
Turkish-French relations nosedived after deputies from then-President
Nicolas Sarkozy's party tried to pass legislation criminalizing the
denial of Armenian claims of genocide. Economic, political and
military contacts between Turkey and France were at the point of being
seriously damaged due to the legislation, but shortly afterwards it
was deemed unconstitutional by France's top court and the crisis was
seemingly averted.
The Turkey-France Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group, abolished
shortly after the French resolution, has recently been re-established
and deputies have started to exchange visits.
When first elected, incumbent President François Hollande gave signals
that he would improve relations with Turkey, as he used a more
moderate tone with regards to the so-called genocide issue, one of the
main sources of tension between Turkey and France.
But the position of the lower political circles in France does not
point to easy relations with Turkey. The description of PKK members,
deemed `terrorists' by the West, as `activists' in a report that was
prepared for the Council of Europe (CoE) by Josette Durrieu, a deputy
from the Socialist Party of France, of which Hollande was the former
party leader, could be an example of such a position. The description
has sparked reactions from Turkish officials.
The description stands in sharp contrast to earlier reports,
decisions, declarations and recommendations adopted by the Council of
Europe's institutions, as the group is listed as a terrorist
organization by the EU, the US and Turkey.
In an earlier development, three Kurdish women with ties to the PKK
were killed in January in Paris. The crime also shone the spotlight
once more on France's lax attitude towards PKK terrorists.
The alleged perpetrator of the crime has been arrested by the French
police, but the political motives behind January's events have not yet
come to light.
Furthermore, France is said to have disappointed Turkey by failing to
respond to Turkish calls to sign an agreement that aims to limit the
financial sources of the terrorist PKK in its territory.
Turkey has been working to convince France to sign an anti-money
laundering and terror financing agreement since 2010, but the French
have refused to sign the agreement offered by Turkey, according to
Turkish officials who wanted to remain anonymous.
Stating that developments such as the change in terminology coming
from a French deputy with regards to the PKK would not be `pleasing'
for relations between the two countries, Ã-zdem Sanberk, the head of
Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) and
a retired Turkish diplomat, claimed that Turkey and France would not
very easily change the stances they had in past disputes.
`Some disputes will be there to stay in Turkish-French relations. We
are recovering after a long, unfriendly process in the past; we cannot
walk into a rose garden,' Sanberk commented in a phone interview with
Sunday's Zaman.
While stating that the bilateral relations are showing signs of
improving, he also said that France's own problems, such as the
economic situation, the French military operation in Mali and the
worsening public opinion of Hollande, prevent it from taking more
courageous steps in improving relations with Turkey, a controversial
subject in French politics.
French stance on Armenian issue
The remarks made by French Education Minister Vincent Peillon
reaffirming Armenian allegations over the incidents of 1915 in the
Ottoman Empire on April 24 -- the anniversary of the so-called
Armenian genocide -- have also caused a reaction in Turkey. Peillon
made his remarks during an event to commemorate the events of 1915 in
Paris, during which he laid a wreath at the Komitas Monument -- a
monument to the alleged genocide in France.
"It is even more unfortunate that such remarks, which unfairly
denigrate our history and foment hatred, were made by a government
member responsible for education," read an official statement from the
Turkish Foreign Ministry, issued following Peillon's remarks.
However, the attendance of a French minister, and not of President
Hollande, at the annual event in Paris has been seen as a goodwill
gesture on the part of the French government to Turkey, but the usual
dispute between Turkey and France could not be avoided.
ÇaÄ?rı Erhan, a political science lecturer at Ankara University, stated
that the French stance on the issue would continue to annoy Turkey as
the 100th anniversary of 1915 events is approaching. `The Armenian
lobbies are pushing for a new initiative for 2015, in France as well
as in the US. We can expect a negative step on the issue from the
French side,' Erhan noted.
Significant progress in economic relations
France is one of Turkey's biggest trading partners, as data from the
Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) show that Turkish exports to
France in 2012 were worth $6.2 billion.
Meanwhile, the country has an significant level of investment in
Turkey, from the automotive to the food and service sectors.
A French-Japanese consortium has recently won the tender to build
Turkey's second nuclear energy plant. French utility group GDF Suez
will operate the plant, joining Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd., which is leading the project.
Furthermore, Turkish discount carrier Pegasus Airlines made a large
jet order from Airbus, in which France has a major share, in December
2012. This is an important development for France, at a time when it
is trying to shake off the effects of a Europe-wide financial crisis
along with other EU members.
Cengiz Aktar, a Turkish journalist and academic who thinks Turkey and
France are enjoying very good relations, especially in economy,
compared to the past, criticized the French leadership for not making
an official visit to Turkey for more than two decades.
Stating that the last visit of a French president to Turkey was in
1992 by then-President François Mitterand, Aktar said that `this is a
desperate situation' for bilateral relations.
The future will show whether Turkey is able to use these close
economic ties with France as political leverage with the country.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-314518-france-sending-mixed-signals-in-relations-with-turkey.html
May 5 2013
France sending mixed signals in relations with Turkey
5 May 2013 /GÃ-ZDE NUR DONAT, ANKARA
Relations between Turkey and France have not made the progress many
expected over the past year, as negative signals continue to come from
France with regards to its lax attitude towards the terrorist
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its opposing stance to Turkey
regarding the Armenian question.
`Even though at the leadership level France is trying to improve
relations with Turkey, there is a de facto enmity in French political
circles in the senate. And one of the cards they play most frequently
against Turkey is the Kurdish question. Their stance is not objective
on that issue,' said a Turkish politician, who wanted to remain
anonymous, to Sunday's Zaman.
Turkish-French relations nosedived after deputies from then-President
Nicolas Sarkozy's party tried to pass legislation criminalizing the
denial of Armenian claims of genocide. Economic, political and
military contacts between Turkey and France were at the point of being
seriously damaged due to the legislation, but shortly afterwards it
was deemed unconstitutional by France's top court and the crisis was
seemingly averted.
The Turkey-France Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group, abolished
shortly after the French resolution, has recently been re-established
and deputies have started to exchange visits.
When first elected, incumbent President François Hollande gave signals
that he would improve relations with Turkey, as he used a more
moderate tone with regards to the so-called genocide issue, one of the
main sources of tension between Turkey and France.
But the position of the lower political circles in France does not
point to easy relations with Turkey. The description of PKK members,
deemed `terrorists' by the West, as `activists' in a report that was
prepared for the Council of Europe (CoE) by Josette Durrieu, a deputy
from the Socialist Party of France, of which Hollande was the former
party leader, could be an example of such a position. The description
has sparked reactions from Turkish officials.
The description stands in sharp contrast to earlier reports,
decisions, declarations and recommendations adopted by the Council of
Europe's institutions, as the group is listed as a terrorist
organization by the EU, the US and Turkey.
In an earlier development, three Kurdish women with ties to the PKK
were killed in January in Paris. The crime also shone the spotlight
once more on France's lax attitude towards PKK terrorists.
The alleged perpetrator of the crime has been arrested by the French
police, but the political motives behind January's events have not yet
come to light.
Furthermore, France is said to have disappointed Turkey by failing to
respond to Turkish calls to sign an agreement that aims to limit the
financial sources of the terrorist PKK in its territory.
Turkey has been working to convince France to sign an anti-money
laundering and terror financing agreement since 2010, but the French
have refused to sign the agreement offered by Turkey, according to
Turkish officials who wanted to remain anonymous.
Stating that developments such as the change in terminology coming
from a French deputy with regards to the PKK would not be `pleasing'
for relations between the two countries, Ã-zdem Sanberk, the head of
Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) and
a retired Turkish diplomat, claimed that Turkey and France would not
very easily change the stances they had in past disputes.
`Some disputes will be there to stay in Turkish-French relations. We
are recovering after a long, unfriendly process in the past; we cannot
walk into a rose garden,' Sanberk commented in a phone interview with
Sunday's Zaman.
While stating that the bilateral relations are showing signs of
improving, he also said that France's own problems, such as the
economic situation, the French military operation in Mali and the
worsening public opinion of Hollande, prevent it from taking more
courageous steps in improving relations with Turkey, a controversial
subject in French politics.
French stance on Armenian issue
The remarks made by French Education Minister Vincent Peillon
reaffirming Armenian allegations over the incidents of 1915 in the
Ottoman Empire on April 24 -- the anniversary of the so-called
Armenian genocide -- have also caused a reaction in Turkey. Peillon
made his remarks during an event to commemorate the events of 1915 in
Paris, during which he laid a wreath at the Komitas Monument -- a
monument to the alleged genocide in France.
"It is even more unfortunate that such remarks, which unfairly
denigrate our history and foment hatred, were made by a government
member responsible for education," read an official statement from the
Turkish Foreign Ministry, issued following Peillon's remarks.
However, the attendance of a French minister, and not of President
Hollande, at the annual event in Paris has been seen as a goodwill
gesture on the part of the French government to Turkey, but the usual
dispute between Turkey and France could not be avoided.
ÇaÄ?rı Erhan, a political science lecturer at Ankara University, stated
that the French stance on the issue would continue to annoy Turkey as
the 100th anniversary of 1915 events is approaching. `The Armenian
lobbies are pushing for a new initiative for 2015, in France as well
as in the US. We can expect a negative step on the issue from the
French side,' Erhan noted.
Significant progress in economic relations
France is one of Turkey's biggest trading partners, as data from the
Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) show that Turkish exports to
France in 2012 were worth $6.2 billion.
Meanwhile, the country has an significant level of investment in
Turkey, from the automotive to the food and service sectors.
A French-Japanese consortium has recently won the tender to build
Turkey's second nuclear energy plant. French utility group GDF Suez
will operate the plant, joining Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,
Ltd., which is leading the project.
Furthermore, Turkish discount carrier Pegasus Airlines made a large
jet order from Airbus, in which France has a major share, in December
2012. This is an important development for France, at a time when it
is trying to shake off the effects of a Europe-wide financial crisis
along with other EU members.
Cengiz Aktar, a Turkish journalist and academic who thinks Turkey and
France are enjoying very good relations, especially in economy,
compared to the past, criticized the French leadership for not making
an official visit to Turkey for more than two decades.
Stating that the last visit of a French president to Turkey was in
1992 by then-President François Mitterand, Aktar said that `this is a
desperate situation' for bilateral relations.
The future will show whether Turkey is able to use these close
economic ties with France as political leverage with the country.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-314518-france-sending-mixed-signals-in-relations-with-turkey.html