Turkish becomes sixth working language of PACE

STRASBOURG – Anadolu Agency

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PACE Turkey Delegation Chair Talip Küçükcan said Turkish lawmakers would be able to speak Turkish during general assembly sessions, committee and sub-committee meetings.



The first speech in Turkish was made by Turkish politician Utku Çakırözer from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Jan. 27.



“The more representative power you have, the more influential you become,” said Küçükcan, highlighting that Turkey’s visibility at PACE and at the Council of Europe would rise with the expected increase in the number of Turkish citizens working at the organization.



Turkey is a founding member of PACE and currently has 18 lawmakers in the organization in total.



Küçükcan also touched upon issues discussed at PACE, including the status of migrants and security issues related to the migrant influx to Europe, saying the migrant issue had to be handled thoroughly and that the root cause of the problem should be taken into account as it could not be solved if the crisis in Syria is not resolved.



Touching on European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) decisions on the state of human rights and rule of law in Turkey, Küçükcan said there had been delays in the application of the decisions to Turkish codes due to Turkey’s election period in late 2015, but recalled remarks made by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu during a visit to Strasbourg in which he stated that Turkey had entered another reform process, adding that this would serve as a “springboard for Turkey’s relations with the Council of Europe and the EU.”



“There is serious confusion about refugees flocking to Europe. The EU does not have a consistent migrant policy as the Council of Europe is in a tougher situation,” Küçükcan also said.



The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has named Turkish as its sixth working language, with the chair of PACE Turkey Delegation saying the number of Turkish lawmakers working at the European organization is expected to rise.