Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of religious freedom in Turkey; and what steps the Government is taking to promote and protect the right to freedom of religion or belief in that country.

The UK has some concerns over freedom of religious belief in Turkey and the issue continues to be a priority area for our bilateral projects in Turkey. We have raised our concerns with Turkish interlocutors up to and including at Prime Ministerial level. We will continue to encourage Turkey to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, especially in the areas of minority rights, freedom of religion and freedom of expression.