Turkey, France enter new era, says EU diplomat .. Tuesday, October 27, 2009 BARÇIN YİNANÇ .. ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
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The strained relationship between Turkey and France has entered a new era, said a European official, adding that the government in Paris is softening its position toward Turkey’s European Union membership bid.
French officials will no longer use the concept “privileged partnership,” as an alternative to EU membership, and according to the new understanding reached between Ankara and Paris, bilateral relations will now begin a new dimension, the same official told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Monday.
With clear support from Germany, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has continuously objected to Turkey’s entry to the EU and instead offered an alternative framework to regulate Turkish-EU relations, called “privileged partnership.” Turkey has repeatedly rejected this motion, saying its goal is full EU membership.
“As the French saying goes, France has put water in the wine. In other words, it is softening its position,” said a well-informed official, who asked to remain anonymous. France will continue to block entry talks in five areas, said the official, adding: “France will no longer talk about privileged partnership. This concept will not be mentioned anymore.”
Turkey has to negotiate 25 chapters to enter the EU. France has blocked talks on five chapters using the argument that concluding negotiations on these five chapters will directly lead to membership.
Increased cooperation
The new understanding, which was reached after a series of official contacts between Ankara and Paris, was hammered out by Sarkozy and Turkish President Abdullah Gül during the latter’s visit to Paris in early October. According to the new understanding, cooperation on all fields will intensify.
“While there is no change in substance on French policy about Turkey’s EU bid, it seems there is a softening in the tone,” said retired Turkish diplomat Yalım Eralp. “What the French propose is to have increased cooperation in more fields and get the two countries closer. In turn, the EU issue with the five chapters being the exception will not be an issue of contention," Eralp told the Daily News. “Yet statements coming from the leaders from time to time can spoil this apparent mood of softening,” he said.
“Turkish-French relations should not be sabotaged by a divergence of view that is about something that will take place in five, 10 or 15 years from now,” said the European official. “The French and the Turks made the decision to work on all issues that bring them closer,” he added.
“What the French are trying to do is to seduce Turks by improving bilateral relations and convince Turkey that while reaping the benefits of bilateral ties, it should forget about membership. If this is the intention, the efforts will be in vain. Because there is no alternative to membership,” said retired Ambassador Özdem Sanberk, who was also the former undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry. “As far as the French are concerned, this might be the right strategy on their part. Yet if France thinks of implementing this strategy with the expectation that Turkey will one day give up its membership bid, the strategy will backfire. Turkey will never give up its membership objective. It will never replace it for better ties with France,” he said adding that the new understanding could turn out to be counterproductive. Furthermore, Sanberk said that deeds count more than words, and in this respect Turkey should continue to monitor France’s action on Turkey’s entry efforts.
The first test case might prove to be the Cyprus issue. The EU might decide to impose a sanction on Turkey with the argument that Turkish ports are not open to shipping from Greek Cyprus. Although the European Commission has not come with any advice on that direction, France’s position will be very important to change the view of the majority of member states, which believe no sanction should be imposed on Turkey.
“France believes that there should be consequences,” said the European official. Although it might not be militant on the issue, France might suggest a course of action that will be short of striking a strong blow to the accession process, but nevertheless send a signal to Turkey.
When asked whether France wants an end to the Turkish policy of keeping out French firms from important tenders in turn for avoiding the “two-p-words,” the European official said that the new will to cooperate goes beyond this simplistic perspective: “There is a real will to cooperate. France and Turkey have a lot in common. The two have the same vision on many issues. There is plenty of room to cooperate on regional issues, for instance,” he said.
READER COMMENTS
Guest - anti-Zionist Turk (2009-10-29 15:19:11) :
I really don't understand why we are trying to join the EU. We should create a Middle Eastern Union with Iran, Syria and Iraq instead.
Guest - anton supertramp (2009-10-29 12:33:47) :
@ david you didint answer my question. ıts clear that you either dont understand my point or just so much into your idea that you cant see others E.U is the biggest trade partner for turkey no one says the otherwise but like I said there is no point being a member of europe which seem to imposibble anyway.. we always gonna make business with europe lıke we should do it with in our region and espesially with asia its you say that we dont belong to europe am I right? we have been triying to be part of the membership almot 50 years what we got? we sould make block with russia china india japan and other counteries in the mean time do our deal with eurapeans and arabs wahts in this so bad? and asains are not so arrogant thats another pro for them... and as a former europe supporter if there is one thning I learned from european politicians its that if they says turkey is not in the right way that means we should keep goıng on that way ı dont ımply you you may be some of the wise european and support turkey in that way but I think we must make them come to us. enough's enough...
Guest - David (2009-10-29 09:42:01) :
@anton. That you have jumped to the conclusion that I hate anyone shows that your arguments are flawed as they will be filled with assumptions, not facts. The biggest trading bloc that Turkey deals with is the EU. The biggest trading partners countries in the EU deal with, are for the most part EU members. Africa will never be an economic power house, which is not a hate based opinion, but a simple observation. The Middle East and Eurasia can only rely on oil and gas to keep its economies strong, just look at those nations in the region with no mineral deposits. Asia will grow in strength, but geographically makes no sense as a bloc for Turkey to join. It's either the EU or nothing. Turkey needs to recognise this, and to recognise that the whole world is not out to destroy the country.....although this is unlikely as Turks tend to be irrationally paranoid about such things.
Armenian genocide denial to be banned in France as senators approve new law
Sarkozy expected to ratify bill, already passed by lower house despite diplomatic row it has sparked with Turkey
Kim Willsher in Paris guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 January 2012 23.51 GMT
Armenian genocide denial will become a crime in France despite protests against the law by Turkish unions. Photograph: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images
French senators have approved legislation making it a crime to deny that the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago constitutes genocide.
The law, which has already been passed by members of the Assemblée Nationale, the lower house, has sparked a major diplomatic row between France and Turkey, .. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/turkey .. which has threatened "permanent consequences".
Immediately after the Sénat vote on Monday night, Turkish justice minister Sadullah Ergin described it as a "total lack of respect" and a "great injustice" towards his country. Ankara had already threatened retaliation if the bill was passed.
After French MPs approved the bill in December, Turkey recalled its ambassador, cancelled all economic and political meetings, and halted military cooperation with France.
Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, had earlier warned of further measures: "If every EU (European Union) parliament implements decisions reflecting its own view of history a new inquisition period will begin in Europe."
Supporters of the bill claim 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered in Turkey under the Ottoman authorities during the first world war in a deliberate policy that constitutes genocide. Many historians agree, but Turkey disputes the term "genocide" and claims many Turks died during fighting in eastern Turkey in 1915 and 1916.
The vote came after an entire afternoon and evening of debate in the Sénat. Defending the bill, government minister Patrick Ollier told senators that legislation was justified in the "fight against the negationist poison". He added: "This proposed legislation is part of a general movement to repress racist and xenophobic statements."
However, last week a Sénat committee warned the law would be unconstitutional because it violates the right to freedom of speech.
President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to ratify the bill before the presidential elections in April. Turkey has accused Sarkozy of pandering to the estimated 500,000 ethnic Armenians in France to win votes in the presidential vote in April and May, in which he is expected to see re-election.
French officials urged Turkey not to overreact. Bernard Valero, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry said Paris considered Ankara a "very important ally".
Those denying or "minimising" the genocide could face a €45,000 fine and a year in jail. France recognised the killing of the Armenians as 'genocide" in 2001, but at the time introduced no legal penalty for denying it.
i hope the law is declared unconstitutional .. hate to say this gentleman is new to me .. if you are interested in more on the struggles of Turkey toward democracy, and reconciliation with it's history, Hrant Dink's story is worth the read .. two bits here ..
Hrant Dink
Hrant Dink (Armenian: [...] (September 15, 1954 – January 19, 2007) was a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent[1] editor, journalist and columnist.
As editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos (????), Dink was a prominent member of the Armenian minority in Turkey. Dink was best known for advocating Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and human and minority rights in Turkey; he was often critical of both Turkey's denial of the Armenian Genocide, and of the Armenian diaspora's campaign for its international recognition. Dink was prosecuted three times for denigrating Turkishness, while receiving numerous death threats from Turkish nationalists.
Hrant Dink was assassinated in Istanbul in January 2007, by Ogün Samast, a 17-year old Turkish nationalist. This was shortly after the premiere of the genocide documentary Screamers, in which he is interviewed about Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and the case against him under article 301. While Samast has since been taken into custody, photographs of the assassin flanked by smiling Turkish police and gendarmerie, posing with the killer side by side in front of the Turkish flag, have since surfaced. The photos created a scandal in Turkey, prompting a spate of investigations and the removal from office of those involved.
At his funeral, two hundred thousand mourners marched in protest of the assassination, chanting "We are all Armenians" and "We are all Hrant Dink". Criticism of Article 301 became increasingly vocal after his death, leading to parliamentary proposals for repeal.
[...]
Dink's unique perspective has been described as a "four way mirror", simultaneously empathetic to people of the Armenian diaspora, citizens of the Republic of Armenia, Turkish Armenians, and citizens of Turkey. Under Hrant Dink's editorship, Agos concentrated on five major topics: Speaking against any unfair treatment of the Armenian community in Turkey, covering human rights violations and problems of democratization in Turkey, carrying news of developments in the Republic of Armenia, with special emphasis on the Turkey-Armenia relations, publishing articles and serials on the Armenian cultural heritage and its contributions to the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, criticizing malfunctions and non-transparency in the Armenian community institutions.
As a leftist activist, Hrant Dink often spoke and wrote about the problems of democratization in Turkey, defending other authors such as Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and novelist Perihan Magden who came under criticism and prosecution for their opinions. In a speech Hrant Dink delivered on May 19, 2006, at a seminar jointly organized in Antalya by the Turkish Journalists´ Association and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, he said:
"I think the fundamental problems in Turkey exist for the majority as well . Therefore, ..., I will speak for the majority, including myself in it and dwell on where, we, as Turkey, are headed."
Acting as a voluntary spokesperson for the Armenian community in Turkey, Hrant Dink, through Agos, addressed the particular prejudices, injustices and problems the community faced in its interaction with the Turkish society and state. Agos, through Hrant Dink's pen, criticized discrimination against Armenians found in Turkish mainstream media, publicized the problems faced by Armenian foundations, and spoke against cases of destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage.
Armenian issues
Dink hoped his questioning would pave the way for peace between the two peoples:
"If I write about the [Armenian] genocide it angers the Turkish generals. I want to write and ask how we can change this historical conflict into peace. They don’t know how to solve the Armenian problem."
He defended his constant challenge of established notions:
"I challenge the accepted version of history because I do not write about things in black and white. People here are used to black and white; that’s why they are astonished that there are other shades, too."
Dink was one of Turkey's most prominent Armenian voices and, despite threats on his life, he refused to remain silent. He always said his aim was to improve the difficult relationship between Turks and Armenians.[36] Active in various democratic platforms and civil society organizations, Hrant Dink emphasized the need for democratization in Turkey and focused on the issues of free speech, minority rights, civic rights and issues pertaining to the Armenian community in Turkey. He was a very important peace activist. In his public speeches, which were often intensely emotional, he never refrained from using the word genocide when talking about the Armenian Genocide, a term fiercely rejected by Turkey.
At the same time, he made clear that this term had a political meaning, rather than a historical one, and he was strongly critical of the strategy of the Armenian diaspora of pressuring Western governments into official recognition of the Genocide label.
Dink featured prominently in the 2006 genocide documentary film Screamers in which he explains:
"There are Turks who don't admit that their ancestors committed genocide. If you look at it though, they seem to be nice people… So why don't they admit it? Because they think that genocide is a bad thing which they would never want to commit, and because they can't believe their ancestors would do such a thing either."
Hrant Dink believed that diaspora Armenians should be able to live free of the weight of historical memory (the "residues of the past"), considering first and foremost the needs of the living majority (he said "eyes of the other side").
Indicating that a show of empathy would have nothing to do with accepting or refusing the genocide, Dink called for dialogue:
"Turkish-Armenian relations should be taken out of a 1915 meters-deep well."
By pointing out issues of rhetorical discourse that hampered Armenian-Turkish dialogue, he believed these obstacles could be overcome to the benefit of Turkish Armenians.
He was opposed to the French law that makes denial of Armenian Genocide a crime. He was planning to go to France to commit this 'crime', when the law came into effect. .. much more .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrant_Dink
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