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Mr.
Moderator,
Turkey’s
position regarding the issue of national minorities is well known.
Nevertheless, for purposes of precision, it should be reiterated here
that the status of minorities in Turkey has been defined by the 1923
Treaty of Lausanne, according to which there are only non-Muslim
minorities in Turkey. No special status or privilege has been granted
to any other person or group of persons, constitutionally or
otherwise. All Turkish citizens enjoy equal rights and obligations
guaranteed by the Constitution and actively participate in Turkey’s
political, social and economic life regardless of their language,
religion, race or ethnic origin.
As
such, discrimination is an element alien not only to the Turkish
political system, but also to the Turkish people’s traditional
social fabric. In Turkey, there exists no restriction whatsoever on
the utilization of public freedoms by citizens either individually, or
at a specific platform.
As
for proposed contacts between Turkey and the High Commissioner on
National Minorities, we adhere to our position on this issue which was
outlined at the Permanent Council meeting held on 12 October in
Vienna.
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