France announced on Feb. 12 that it would partially lift its blockage of Turkey’s European Union path, thus setting the stage for improved ties with Ankara and raising hopes that Turkey’s stalled relations with the EU can be reanimated.

Improved ties between Ankara and Paris are also expected to end the rivalry between the two countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), placing them in a more cooperative mode that contributes to stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Ties between Ankara and Paris went into a tailspin under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who revealed an ingrained antipathy toward Turkey long before he was elected in May 2007. The “one-term” former president, who remains a controversial figure in France, had also argued that Turkey could not become a member of the EU because it belonged to a different civilization.

Once elected, President Sarkozy immediately blocked five crucial chapters in Ankara’s EU membership talks, despite the fact that France had given its official blessing in 2005 for these talks to take place. He argued that the chapters being blocked pertained to full membership, which his country opposed.