President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye’s commitment to maintaining constructive dialogue and engagement with the Council of Europe and other international human rights mechanisms, as he received Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary-General Alain Berset at the presidential complex in Ankara on Tuesday.
During the talks, regional and global developments were discussed.
The closed-door meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, and Erdoğan’s Chief Adviser on Foreign Policy and Security, Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
During the talks, regional and global developments were discussed. President Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye’s commitment to maintaining constructive dialogue and engagement with the Council of Europe and other international human rights mechanisms.
He also expressed concern over the growing trends of racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia in Europe, calling on the Council of Europe to show greater sensitivity in addressing these issues.
Touching on the situation in Gaza, Erdoğan criticized Israel’s continued attacks and said the international community, particularly European institutions, should raise a stronger voice in defense of international law and human rights.
Türkiye is a founding member of the Council of Europe.
The council is separate from the EU, of which Türkiye has been a candidate country for over two decades. However, talks stalled in 2016 over what Ankara says is the bloc’s “insistence on politicizing the issue.”
Türkiye suggests it has fulfilled most of the criteria for membership. Though the accession process stalled, the country has remained a key economic and defense partner for the 27-member bloc.