Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Paris yesterday to hold contacts with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius ahead of the third gathering of the Friends of Syria group on Friday.
Following the meeting, the two ministers held a joint press conference. Speaking at the conference, Fabius said that they have discussed Syria, Afghanistan and developments in the Middle East, as well as Turkey-EU relations, trade and cultural issues.
Stating that France is determined to see Turkey carry forward its relations with the EU, Fabius said, “Our ally Turkey is an indispensible actor and an element of stability in an unstable region.†Fabius also underlined that his perspectives with Davutoglu were close on Syria.
In reply to a reporter’s question if France would lift its veto on five chapters in Turkey’s EU negotiations, Fabius stressed that the new French government was closely going over the files in its hands and that they wanted to solve the problems with good will.
Speaking for his part, Davutoglu said, “We are here to show a will to begin a new term with France. Turkish-French diplomatic relations are important for the history of world diplomacy. We had a friendly and comprehensive meeting today. Differences in views are clear. We have decided to eradicate such differences not with concerns of domestic politics but through a common vision."
Davutoglu also said Turkey lifted sanctions it imposed on France earlier this year for the genocide-denial bill which was endorsed by the French Parliament and that Fabius ordered to complete necessary procedures to open Bordeaux and Nantes consulates of Turkey.