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France plans to open a new chapter with Turkey in 2013

21 September 2012 21:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Newly elected French President FranÃ§ois Hollande is expected to visit Turkey in early 2013 to open a new chapter in Turkish-French ties, said sources from the Elysee Palace, APA reports quoting Today’sZaman.
According to a report in the HÃ¼rriyet daily, Hollande is planning to pay a visit to Turkey in early 2013, and the Elysee Palace has already started preparations for the visit. The report also added that the two leaders, Hollande and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, will discuss the details of the visit in the upcoming meeting of the UN General Assembly slated for Sept. 24 in New York.

However, ErdoÄŸan’s office announced on Friday that the prime minister has cancelled his trip to the US where he was due to attend the UN meeting. ErdoÄŸan, who was travelling in President Abdullah GÃ¼l’s place, was expected to give a speech at the assembly in New York. Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu will now lead the Turkish delegation at the New York meeting.

Turkish-French ties deteriorated sharply during former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s rule, not only because of a genocide debate but also due to the former French leader’s outspoken opposition to Turkish membership in the EU. His election defeat in June opened the door for a new era between France and Turkey, with Ankara praising the new administration’s willingness to restore ties. ErdoÄŸan met with Hollande on the sidelines of a UN meeting in Brazil when the two leaders agreed to turn a â€œnew pageâ€ in their relations.