Turkish president Gül meets with his French counterpart Hollande

Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Sunday met with his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Chicago on the sidelines of a summit meeting of NATO.

CHICAGO – The meeting was held closed to news media it was also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz.

Turkish diplomatic sources said the two leaders expressed willingness to mend ties in bilateral relations to bring them up to their previous level.

Gul said Turkey and France had deep-rooted relations, adding that Turkey was willing to open “a new page with France” as Hollande said “past misunderstandings” should not be allowed to cast shadow on ties.

Hollande also said he would not make Turkey a debate of domestic politics in France.

21 May 2012
SOURCE: CUMHURIYET ENGLISH