THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND THE PRESENT STATE OF TURKISH-FRENCH RELATIONS

Th e initial traces of mutual relations between Paris and Ankara date back to the 16th century. During the Ottoman Empire, bilateral relations between the Empires fl ourished in terms of economic relations where France enjoyed capitulations. Th e French-Turkish relations encompass both alliances and wars. Currently there exist serious dissidences in terms of democracy, human rights and freedom issues. Apart from that Paris’s opposition of Turkey’s future full European Union membership blocking fi ve chapters and accepting genocide claims against the so-called Armenian genocide, Turkey’s Kurdish question constitute a huge obstacle for the future development of French-Turkish relations