PARIS
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Tuesday 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.
An international conference on Libya took place in the French capital of Paris on Tuesday with the participation of the foreign ministers of 14 countries, including Turkey.
In response to a question, Fabius provided information on his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
"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 underlined.
Asked about French President Francois Hollande's visit to Turkey, Fabius stated that such a visit was discussed but that no certain date was established for the visit yet.
In regard to Tuesday's international conference on Libya in Paris, Fabius emphasized that the issue of security was at the forefront in the final declaration.
"If there is no security, there would not be a strong democracy. This is valid not only for Libya but also other neighboring countries," Fabius stressed.
Touching on Mali, Fabius said that France was there to fight against terrorist groups.
"We conduct operations in Mali with the authorization of the United Nations and other international organizations. Once the problem ends in Mali, France will no longer stay there," Fabius said.
On the other hand, Libyan Foreign Minister Muhammad Abdulaziz indicated that the issue of security was crucial.
"If there is no security, there would be no development, prosperity, democracy and human rights can not be implemented," Abdulaziz expressed.
The international conference on Libya took place at a request made by the Libyan government. During the conference on Tuesday, the new Libyan administration's desire to make international cooperation for security and justice were debated.
