Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 18 / Trend E.Ostapenko /
The Council of Europe Congress supports the Turkish government's plan to further protect the rights of Kurds, said Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Acting President Ian Micallef during an interview at a conference in Utrecht.
"We are aware that this is a historic opportunity not only for Turkey but for Europe as a whole," he said. "The council's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities would like to act accordingly and give the necessary support to the Turkish government."
The Turkish Government has prepared a "democratic solution" to the Kurdish problem, which will be discussed in parliament Dec.10. The ruling Justice and Development submitted the plan.
"We consider this initiative as a step in the right direction," Micallef said. and "We would like to encourage Ankara to proceed."
He said congress decided to reflect on concrete democratic measures taken by Turkey at the next plenary session of the congress in March 2010.
Micallef suggested postponing the congress monitoring mission to assess the quality of local and regional democracy in the country.
"I believe that Turkey needs time now to substantiate this courageous project and implement the envisaged measures," he said, adding that this does not mean the "Congress is closing our eyes to the problems that still exist in Turkey."
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