Honourable Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey,
Honourable Speakers,
Distinguished colleagues,
What happened on 15 July 2016 in Turkey was exceptional. It was an unacceptable attempt to overthrow the state and democratic institutions by force. It was all the more appalling as it was staged by representatives of state structures - people supposed to protect the state and its people.
Therefore, as I followed the events during the night of 15 July and talked over the phone to my Turkish friends, my immediate reaction was to condemn violence and express support for Turkey, its democratic institutions and its people, which I did publicly on 16 July.
Turkey is a member state of the Council of Europe; a member of a Pan-European democratic family that has signed up to uphold Human Rights and the Rule of Law. Therefore, today, we give our solidarity and support to Turkey.
The failure of the coup d'Etat was a victory for democracy. The people of Turkey took to the streets to defend the country's democratic institutions and I was greatly encouraged by the immediate unity shown by the Turkish people and the political stakeholders after the coup. This is an opportunity to be seized by the country.
The attempted coup was shocking. It will take time for the country to come to terms with it, to clarify the facts, to bring to justice those responsible, and to ensure such an attempt is not repeated.
You can count on our support in these investigations and legal procedures which need to comply with the constitution, laws and domestic regulations, as underpinned by the European Convention on Human Rights and other Council of Europe standards.
We have the tools and expertise to help Turkey in this and I welcome that Turkish officials are heading to Strasbourg for meetings tomorrow with Council of Europe Officials.
Honourable Speaker, Colleagues,
As friends we must be honest friends if we are to respect each other. Yes, we have concerns about allegations of ill treatment, but we listen and hear the steps you are taking to investigate these.
Yes, we are concerned about the number of persons detained, the extent of dismissals from public office, and the closing of institutions - education, media or other. But again, we want to listen to you and assist, if necessary, so the path you tread does not take you towards the European Court of Human Rights.
Honourable Speaker,
As I draw my intervention to a close, we should not lose sight of other threats that Turkey faces, including horrendous acts of terrorism, the conflict on its southern borders and the global migration and refugee crisis. These challenges affect us all, and when one family member faces trouble, the whole family is concerned.
I have heard there is a Turkish proverb that says "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out". The fact that there are so many of us who came to Turkey today you can take to mean that Turkey can count on a lot of real friends. Let us work together.
Tesekkür ederim.