§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, since most insurgents have abandoned their armed struggle, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe High Commissioner for Minorities will soon be able to visit Turkey to assess the situation of minorities. [HL2065]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThe mandate of the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe gives him a broad measure of independence and freedom of initiative, necessary for his sensitive and delicate work. His work schedule is a matter for him to decide.
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that the 1995 Hague recommendations on the education rights of national minorities and the 1996 Oslo recommendations on linguistic rights apply or should apply in Turkey, as an Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe member and European Union candidate. [HL2066]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThe Hague recommendations regarding the education rights of national minorities (1996) and the Oslo recommendations regarding the linguistic rights of national minorities (1998) were drawn up, at the request of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, at a series of experts' meetings convened by the Foundation of Inter-Ethnic relations, a nongovernmental organisation. As such they are not legally binding on OSCE member states. The High Commissioner's approach is to employ the international standards to which each state has agreed as his principal framework of analysis and the foundation for his specific recommendations.
Her Majesty's Government fully support the work of the High Commissioner. Turkey's international human rights obligations are a key part of the dialogue which the Government maintain with the Turkish Government bilaterally and in the preparations of Turkey's European Union accession partnership.