"I praise the strong commitment of the Turkish authorities to continuing democratic reforms," declared PACE President René van der Linden, at the end of his official visit to Turkey (Ankara and Konya) from 13 to 15 January 2008. "The parliamentary and presidential elections in 2007 confirmed the stability of Turkish democracy and resulted in a more pluralistic and representative Parliament with an increased participation of women and MPs from the South-East of Turkey," said the President. (more...)