31/03/2021 (Agence Europe) – In a joint statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday 31 March, the Permanent Representations of 27 member states to the Council of Europe “deeply regret the decision of the President of Turkey to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention”. They call on the Turkish government to withdraw its notification of withdrawal and to renew its commitment to a Convention that contains no “hidden agenda” to set “new standards in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation” be ratified as widely as possible. Issued in French by the French Permanent Representation and in English by the Finnish one, this joint statement was retweeted throughout the day by other embassies to the Council of Europe, notably Iceland and Ireland in the first instance. (VL)