Developments are moving so fast in Turkey that an issue that might occupy the agenda elsewhere for weeks lasts no more than a day. This was the case with French President Francois Hollande’s two-day visit to Ankara and Istanbul.
Turks had been waiting for this visit for months, with high hopes for a new page being turned on Turkey and the European Union in their relations. There was such a firm belief that the real obstruction to Turkey’s EU accession was France, in particular former President Nicolas Sarkozy, that Hollande’s taking over gave rise to expectations that the path of Turkey-EU relations would now be smoothed. Hollande’s visit was a concrete symbol of this desire and optimism for the future.
