Turkey Takes Action Following PACE’s Decision to Monitor Turkey

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Turkey has taken steps following the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to degrade Turkey to monitoring status in the session held on April 25, 2017.

German deputy’s visit was cancelled

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government cancelled German Christian Social Union’s (CSU) federal deputy Bernd Fabritius’ visit to Turkey.

According to Deutsche Welle, the visit was pre-planned; Turkey declared the cancellation just ahead of the visit.

Fabritius made a statement yesterday (April 26):

“I take this step with sorrow and I hope that Turkey will withdraw this decision”.

AKP and MHP didn’t attend the PACE General Session

Turkey’s second step was to not attend the general session held yesterday.

According to Cumhuriyet daily’s correspondent in Strasbourg Duygu Güvenç, the AKP MPs and one Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) MP left Strasbourg upon an instruction that came from Ankara yesterday. (HK/TK)