Turkey
(asked on 13th October 2014) - View Source
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had, or intend to have, with President Erdogan over the nature of secular society in Turkey.
This question was answered on 24th October 2014
We and our EU partners regularly engage with the Turkish government on the full range of EU accession matters, including on human rights and freedom of religion and belief. We are encouraged by the progress Turkey has made on these issues. In particular, we welcome the steps taken to protect the interests of religious minorities in Turkey. This includes the freedom granted to hold religious services at the Greek Orthodox Sumela Monastery and Armenian Orthodox Akdamar Church; updated religious textbooks for schools; and the returning of property seized by the state to religious minorities. We are also encouraged by the ‘democratisation package’ announced by the Turkish government in October 2013, aimed at addressing concerns over minority rights.
We and our EU partners regularly engage with the Turkish government on the full range of EU accession matters, including on human rights and freedom of religion and belief. We are encouraged by the progress Turkey has made on these issues. In particular, we welcome the steps taken to protect the interests of religious minorities in Turkey. This includes the freedom granted to hold religious services at the Greek Orthodox Sumela Monastery and Armenian Orthodox Akdamar Church; updated religious textbooks for schools; and the returning of property seized by the state to religious minorities. We are also encouraged by the ‘democratisation package’ announced by the Turkish government in October 2013, aimed at addressing concerns over minority rights.