Turkey, Greece warned at PACE over religious minorities

Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) has asked Turkey and Greece on Wednesday to treat religious minorities in compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The PACE General Assembly approved a report by French parliamentarian Michel Hunault on "religious freedoms of non-Muslim minority in Turkey and Muslim minority in Western Thrace and other human rights" and a relevant resolution. 102 parliamentarians voted "yes" while 18 voted "no". Four parliamentarians abstained.

The report called on Turkey and Greece not to implement reciprocity by considering the rights of religious minorities as stated in the Lausanne Treaty and to act in compliance with the standards as set forth by the ECHR. The report further indicated that the two countries should not conduct discrimination against members of religious minorities.

The report also made a call on the two countries to recognize the ethnic identity of individuals and contribute to the solution of the religious and educational problems of such minorities.

/World Bulletin/