France: a chance to restart

What initiatives can Turkey take in order to accelerate the process of improvement? First of all, we must emphasize that under Hollande’s presidency, the main determiner of relations will not be whether or not Turkey is a European nation, but whether or not Turkey respects democratic values.

There were some people in Turkey who were “happy” with Nicolas Sarkozy because he had turned his attention away from Turkey, resulting in an absence of criticism over Turkey’s problems with democracy. However, from now on, Turkey should be ready to face much criticism, and it has to be careful to avoid reacting harshly when it is criticized about human rights, minority rights, transparency, the rule of law and the Armenian “problem.”

If the two countries manage to build new bilateral relations based on EU values, this will be beneficial and constructive for both of them. Nevertheless, one has to admit that many ill intentions, prejudices, misunderstandings and broken hearts have poisoned relations in the last five years. In order to make a fresh start, one of them first needs to show its goodwill.

Perhaps Hollande should include Turkey on his foreign visit list. We recall that Sarkozy came to Turkey in February 2011, not as the French president but as the head of the G20, and he stopped in Ankara for only a couple of hours. His visit was so low profile that one might think he was an illegal migrant and not a president. That’s why President François Mitterand’s visit in 1992 is still considered the last official visit paid by a French president to Turkey.

If it is necessary to find a reason (not to say an excuse) to explain why Hollande has to visit Turkey as soon as possible, one can come up with a few ideas. Maybe Hollande himself does not like the idea that any visit to Turkey would eventually be described as a shift in France’s policy regarding Turkey’s accession to the EU. Maybe it would be wiser to find another reason to justify this visit, an issue not directly related to the EU accession process but that could, later on, be helpful with regards to accession.

One reason Hollande could use for visiting Turkey without signaling a shift in French policy would be to discuss the resuscitation of the Union for the Mediterranean project. This partnership was supposed to be a cooperation initiative but, thanks to Sarkozy’s mishandling, it has turned into a platform for rivalry and conflict. You may recall that while describing the project, Sarkozy even made France’s closest allies in Europe very angry, and he failed to convince many countries in the Mediterranean Basin that his proposed projects were worthwhile. Besides, as he preferred to present the project as a viable alternative to Turkey’s EU membership, Turkey was furious over the organization from day one.

If the Union for the Mediterranean is to be redesigned, not as an alternative but as a starting point from which Turkey could join the EU in the future, it can become a project for stability in which France and Turkey can cooperate closely. In the EU enlargement process towards Eastern Europe, Germany played a facilitating role in Poland’s accession. Why won’t France do the same for Turkey? If it becomes the country to carry Turkey into the EU, Turkey would not refuse France with help in the Middle East in exchange. At a time when both countries need to initiate rapprochement, the Union for the Mediterranean may be a good place to start.