The process of legislative and institutional change in Turkey is "ongoing but incomplete", the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has concluded in its first assessment of the country in five years.
In a resolution adopted today on the basis of a report by Josette Durrieu (France, SOC), PACE recognised there had been many reforms in Turkey since 2004 – when the full "monitoring" procedure was closed – but said these only partially responded to the remaining problem areas set out by the Assembly.
The parliamentarians recognised that a "process of major reform" is taking place against a complex background of political transition involving the army and the judiciary, the Kurdish question and regional instability, not least in neighbouring Syria. They also hailed Turkey's "very significant economic achievements" in the context of global crisis, pointing out that it has become a regional power and a "benchmark" for less stable Muslim countries in the region. (more...)
