A ROLE FOR TURKEY FRANCE CAN ACCEPT

Hurriyet
June 25 2009
Turkey

PARIS – On the European stage, Turkey is often on the sharp end
of the wit. This is perhaps no more true anywhere than in France,
where President Sarkozy’s opposition to Turkey’s EU aspirations is
unmistakable. Offstage, however, France knows Turkey’s role is more
central to the success of the whole troupe, as one top Sarkozy adviser
reveals in an interview.

While Turkey’s interest in joining the "West" as a member of the
European Union may be anathema to France, collaboration in the "East"
is just fine, according to a top adviser to French President Nicholas
Sarkozy.

"If we speak of regional [Middle East] prospects, Turkey is a prominent
partner for France. President Sarkozy publicly said Turkey has a
unique role in the region," Boris Boillon, Sarkozy’s adviser for North
African and Middle Eastern affairs, told the Hurriyet Daily News &
Economic Review.

Boillon’s comments, made during an interview in his Elysee office at
the presidential palace in Paris, carried a tone starkly different that
those generally offered in connection to Turkey by French President
Nicolas Sarkozy and other top French officials. On Monday, Pierre
Menat, director of EU affairs for the French foreign ministry, told
the Daily News that it was time for Turkey to "wake up" and abandon
its EU dreams.

But that doesn’t mean France and Turkey can’t be friends and allies
outside of the European project. Boillon, who was recently appointed as
France’s ambassador to Baghdad, affirmed that the policies of Turkey
and France with regard to the Middle East overlap and create a good
environment for cooperation.

"We did a lot together during the Gaza crisis. We have valued Turkey’s
role a lot," Boillon said. Turkey was active in the region following
the Israeli invasion of Gaza in January. "We had constant dialogue with
Ahmet Davutoglu, who was at that time adviser to the prime minister,"
he said.

Davutoglu, who was appointed as foreign minister in April, is known
for his good ties with Hamas. He shuttled between Damascus and Cairo
in January to unite the divided Palestinian groups and contribute to
Egypt’s efforts to reach a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas. "His
contacts [with Hamas] were very useful," Boillon said.

The relations between Turkey and France have been strained over the
last 10 years, first because of Paris’ recognition in 2000 of the
alleged Armenian genocide and its efforts to punish any denial of it
as such, and second for Sarkozy’s firm opposition to Turkey’s full
membership to the EU.

But for many, the disagreement over Turkey’s EU course overshadows
the progress in economic, political and cultural relations between
the two countries.

France decided to run a nine-month cultural event called "Turkey
Season" to promote Turkey in 40 different cities through 400 activities
starting July 1. More than 350 French firms have investments in Turkey
and the trade volume has recently passed 10 billion euros.

"Turkey is the greatest market in the region, far from all other
countries there. Turkey, with its growing and young population,
constitutes the best economic partner in its region," Boillon
said. "That’s another reason why we have to be in close contact on
every issue."

Since Sarkozy’s election as president, France has increased its
diplomatic activities in the Middle East. "We think that Turkey and
France have many common characteristics: we both tried to convince
Syria to have more confident relations with the West and to help
Lebanon overcome the presidential crisis," Boillon said, recalling
last year’s summit in Damascus in which Sarkozy and Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part.

"Turkey has very good relations with Arab countries. It better analyzes
the regional developments. We are very satisfied with our relationship
with Turkey," said Boillon.

As the next ambassador to Baghdad, Boillon reaffirmed that France and
Turkey had common views for the future of Iraq, meaning they were also
against the division of the war-torn country. "Iraq is important for
us. It is also very important for Turkey as a neighboring country,"
he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress