ANKARA: Amid heightened tensions with Berlin, Ankara on Thursday received reassuring words from French President Emmanuel Macron.
He said the EU should avoid any deterioration in its relations with Turkey, which is a vital partner in many areas, especially counterterrorism and migration.
But Macron added that Ankara had “objectively distanced itself” from Brussels recently, and showed an “alarming deviation that cannot remain without consequence.”
Macron’s remarks came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said over the weekend that the EU should stop accession talks with Turkey that have been ongoing for 12 years.
“Macron’s statement is a call for moderation following harsh rhetoric from Berlin for weeks,” Haluk Nuray, Brussels representative of the Economic Development Foundation, told Arab News.
“He doesn’t want to burn bridges with Ankara, and so is opting for softer rhetoric, while acknowledging that Turkey has backtracked in its harmonization steps with the EU in the candidacy process,” Nuray added.
“For a long time, Turkey’s regional policies and political dynamics have been incompatible with Western choices. We don’t speak the same language with the West, so deeper cooperation with the EU on counterterrorism or the refugee challenge seems unlikely for the moment.”
European leaders rely on Turkey to manage the flow of Syrian refugees, following a deal struck with the EU last year to take back irregular migrants from Europe in exchange for visa-free travel for Turks to the EU and €6 billion ($7.25 billion) in aid.
Last month, Turkish border guards seized French journalist Loup Bureau on the border with Iraq on terror charges. He is still in a prison in the south-eastern province of Sirnak.
But Turkey’s ties with France are better than they currently are with Germany. Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regularly discuss the situation in Syria and counterterrorism efforts.
Erdogan was one of the first leaders to congratulate Macron on his election on May 7. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is due in Ankara on Sept. 14.
Muzaffer Senel, an EU expert from Istanbul Sehir University, said Macron’s statement does not mean France supports Turkish accession to the EU. Rather, it is confirmation that relations with Ankara are strategically important.
“It’s about deepening security alliances, not the political partnership,” Senel told Arab News. “There’s an old saying from the Cold War period: ‘Turks are good to fight alongside but not to live with.’ Paris sees Turkey as a privileged partner.”
Senel added: “Paris and Berlin are the most important decision-makers in the EU system. Their statements are crucial, and should be taken into consideration seriously.”