New York, 23/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - Ambassador Volkan Vural, Turkey's Permanent Delegate to the United Nations, signed two UN Conventions in New York relating to political and social rights, that had been opened to signing in 1966 and which took effect in 1976. In a communiqué, Turkey's foreign ministry stresses that Turkey was one of the few countries whicih were still not signatories to the two Conventions, and "it has been observed that this situation cast a shadow upon Turkey's considerable efforts in the human rights area and caused question marks over Turkey's intentions in this regard", whereas today it "is an EU candidate country". The signed texts, and which will take effect as soon as the Turkish Parliament has adopted them are:
- Political and Civil Rights Convention, of which 144 UN member States of the 188 are signatories, and which in particular covers the protection against torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment, protection against arbitrary custody and prosecution, freedom to work and settle, freedom of thought conscience, religion, speech and rights for ethnic minorities to enjoy their cultures and the right to believe in their own religion and teach it and right of using their own language;
The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Convention, which ensures equality between people independent of their origin, sex, language, religion, political ideas, and which ensures trade union rights, including the right to strike, the right to education, to conducting cultural activity, and improving working conditions.