I am pleased to be in Ankara today, at the invitation of Mr. Ismail Kahraman, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. We have had substantive and productive discussions, and I very much look forward to our cooperation ahead. I have also had the opportunity to exchange views with a number of other senior parliamentary officials, including the Chair of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women, the Chair of the Committee on Human Rights Inquiry and the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on the July 15 Coup Attempt.
I have used the opportunity to reiterate that the Inter-Parliamentary Union has condemned in the strongest possible terms the coup attempt in Turkey and the attack on Parliament on 15 July. Any attempt to interfere in the political process or accede to power through violence cannot be justified under any circumstances and should be clearly rejected.
The IPU expresses its solidarity with the people of Turkey as they recover from the trauma of the July 15 events. The IPU reaffirms its commitment to support Turkey in its efforts to strengthen constitutional order and uphold democracy and the rule of law. It underscores the critical role the Turkish Parliament plays in this process, including in terms of fostering an inclusive political dialogue in the country.
The IPU has a longstanding relationship with the Turkish Parliament, as evidenced through joint programmes and initiatives in a number of areas, including parliamentary capacity building, gender equality and human rights. I have agreed with the Turkish parliamentary authorities, to pursue our on-going co-operation to promote gender equality in partnership with the United Nations. The IPU and the Turkish Parliament are also exploring modalities to ensure follow up to the 2011 Parliamentary Action Plan for the Least Developed Countries.
During my visit to Ankara, I have also discussed with my Turkish hosts the situation of the nearly 140 Turkish MPs whose parliamentary immunity was lifted in May after a vote in Parliament amending the Constitution and who now face prosecution. The IPU reaffirms the importance of parliamentary immunity as a necessary mechanism to allow parliamentarians to do their job freely and safely, with the clear understanding that immunity should not be confused with impunity. I have stressed that the MPs in question should be entitled to due process and fair trial guarantees in any legal proceedings against them.
The IPU also welcomes the commitment of the Turkish Parliament to work closely with the IPU in finding a suitable solution to the cases currently under consideration by the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.
