ANKARA
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said France formally conveyed that it decided to change its stance about Turkey's EU membership talks.
Earlier in the day, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that they would assist Turkey in opening of chapter 22, titled "Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments", to negotiations in the country's accession talks.
France has been blocking Turkey's starting talks on five chapters with the EU.
During a joint press conference with Kuwaiti Deputy Premier Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah in Ankara on Tuesday, Davutoglu said that it was one chapter for the beginning, but France expressed that it had the political will to lift obstacles before Turkish-EU relations from now on.
"France will extend support to Turkey's EU membership negotiations. We have told Turkish officials that we will assist them in opening chapter 22 to negotiations. We also had a chance to speak on technical issues. We have reached a consensus on consolidation of friendly relations with Turkey," Fabius told reporters following his meeting with Davutoglu.
Davutoglu said, "this is an important step. We hope Turkish-EU relations will gain a momentum in the next period."
Writing by Gokce Cansunar
