Written question asked by Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 May 2024. It was answered by Nusrat Ghani (Conservative) on Monday, 20 May 2024 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Turkey: Kurds

Question: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to raise concerns with the Government of Turkey over the treatment of its Kurdish population.

Answer: We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Kurds, and we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. Most recently, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the FCDO discussed human rights and the rule of law with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bozay at the UK-Turkey Strategic Dialogue on 10 January 2024. Our Embassy in Turkey regularly engage with political parties and diplomatic counterparts on this issue, and closely track related judicial cases such as the HDP closure and Kobani cases.

Secondary information