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PACE adopted the resolution on the rights of persons belonging to national minorities

30.01.2019
Halit Habip Oğlu: “As the Turkish community in Western Thrace, while we got actively involved in the preparation phase of the report and prior to the voting of the report at PACE, we articulated our views and comments during the meetings we had with the rapporteur Badea”

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted on 24 January 2019 the resolution 2262/2019 entitled “Promoting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities”. In the resolution based on the report prepared by Viorel Riceard Badea (Romania, EPP/CD), Second Vice-Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, the PACE reiterates its appeal to all member States of the Council of Europe to respond positively to the needs of persons belonging to national minorities and to safeguard their rights, in particular as set forth in the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM).

In the resolution, it is underlined that full ratification of the Framework Convention by all member States of the Council of Europe is an important means of promoting the full and equal participation of all members of society, promoting and protecting the diversity of cultures and languages in Europe and guaranteeing stability, democratic security and peace throughout the continent. In the resolution, the Assembly regrets that limited progress has been made since 2006 towards ratification of the Framework Convention by the eight States which are not parties to it, among them also Greece, and invites them to sign and/or ratify the Convention without reservations. Besides, the Assembly calls on those member States which have not yet done so to sign and/or ratify the Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights. 

The Western Thrace Turkish delegation had met with the rapporteur Badea during the preparatory phase of the report analyzing the situation of national minorities living in the member States of the Council of Europe which are not parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and to the Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights, and conveyed orally and in written the views and comments of the Turkish community in Western Thrace with regard to the chapter on Greece of the report. As a result of the meeting with Badea, ABTTF’s two amendment proposals out of which one is about the full implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concerning the freedom of association of persons belonging to national minorities by the member States of the Council of Europe, and the other is the key role of civil society organizations representing persons belonging to national minorities in making fundamental rights and values a reality for everyone have been adopted.

“As a result of the many meetings we as the Western Thrace Turkish delegation had with the rapporteur Badea, we have ensured to have views of the Turkish community in Western Thrace considered and included in the report. It is very positive that two amendment proposals made by ABTTF are also included in the resolution based on the report which was adopted by PACE. As the Turkish community in Western Thrace, we got actively involved in this process, conveyed our views and demands to the rapporteur, and so were able to influence the process directly. This shows the importance of the actions carried out at international level,” stated Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).

The regarding resolution on “Promoting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities” adopted by PACE is available at: http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-EN.asp?fileid=25428&lang=en
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