"Does France have a Turkey policy?
Friday, February 3, 2006
Cengiz Aktar
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy held a series of official meetings in Ankara on Thursday and the day before. The last time a French foreign minister had visited the country was in April 2003. The French government, ever since its prime minister, Dominique de Villepin said �the membership negotiations will not start unless you recognize the Republic of Cyprus� last Aug. 2, has developed an anti-Turkey stance within the European Union. The French are also the co-sponsors of the conceptual nonsense called �privileged partnership,� which I have widely commented on in this column, together with the German Christian Democrats. The French have been averse to Turkey's EU membership since then. President Jacques Chirac's support to our membership only began in 1998. It was Chirac who all of a sudden took a stance against Greece's unyielding attitude against Turkey and played an important part in getting Turkey's candidacy approved in December 1999 in Helsinki."
More:Does France have a Turkey policy? - Turkish Daily News Feb 03, 2006