11 May 2017•Update: 12 May 2017
STRASBOURG, France
Turkey's fight against terrorism is a guarantee of Europe's security, the country's EU affairs minister said Thursday.
Speaking at a news conference in Strasbourg after a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, Omer Celik said that Ankara's anti-terror fight "not only ensures Turkey's security, but also the security of Europe".
The minister noted that Turkey was committed to observing the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), to which it is a party, as it continued to fight terrorism.
"Turkey is presenting a rare model in which the ECHR is in force and freedoms are not lifted as it continues to fight against terrorism. We expect everyone to appreciate it," Celik said.
The minister added that he conveyed Turkey's discomfort to Jagland over a decision of the Council’s parliamentary assembly to place the country on a political monitoring watch list last month.
The decision of the PACE, which was adopted by 113 votes to 45, with 12 abstentions, was "wrong and unfair", Celik said.
While some lawmakers from Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) announced last month that they would not participate in PACE’s plenary sessions, Celik said that cooperation with the Council would continue.
"The Council of Europe is our home. We are the host here, not a guest," he said, recalling that Turkey was a founding member of the Council.
*Reporting by Murat Unlu; Writing by Ilker Girit
