Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum entitled “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil” the weekend of 12 and 13 April. On Monday 14 April, he gave details of his bilateral meetings and issued a statement on the current situation in Turkey.
Alain Berset met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Commissioner General of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Kubanychbek Omuraliev and Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan.
The aim was to discuss “topics of common interest related to the human rights situation, the preservation of democracy in the face of crises, and multilateral cooperation to address current geopolitical challenges”.
In the statement specific to Turkey, he says that he is closely following events relating to Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu’s detention and points out that the rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights are a “unconditional legal obligation” for all Council of Europe member states, which includes Turkey.
Alain Berset announces his “upcoming visit to Ankara” and his intention to reaffirm these obligations.
He reiterates the Council of Europe’s offer of expertise in order to preserve democratic resilience and the Rule of law.
“In this context, dialogue is essential, and I truly appreciate the open, frank and constructive contacts we are having with our Turkish counterparts”, he adds.
Link to the statement on the situation in Turkey: https://aeur.eu/f/gel (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)