Turkey considers repairing ties with Paris government

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

French President-elect François Hollande. ABACA PRESS photo

Turkey has said it could consider lifting the eight-article sanctions imposed on France, according to the stance the new French administration takes on the ‘Armenian genocide’ issue.

Speaking of the French presidential candidates’ election promises to revive the country’s “genocide denial” law, which was annulled by the French Constitutional Court of France, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Selçuk Ünal told reporters at his weekly press conference yesterday: “Of course we should look at those statements and monitor further phases. We have to wait for France to form a new government.” “The steps the French government takes will be the arbiter in our plans,” Ünal added. “The situation our bilateral relations are in today does not suit the strong history of French-Turkish ties,” Ünal said, referring to the over 500-year history of diplomatic relations between the two.

If France acts in what the Turkish government considers as an appropriate manner, Turkey is ready both to strengthen bilateral ties and to work closely with France on international issues affecting Europe’s future, Ünal said, adding that Ankara also expects that the new French administration will open the five chapters of Turkey’s EU membership negotiations that have been frozen by France.

Ünal also said that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is due to pay visits to Estonia today and Moldova tomorrow.