§ Dame Jill KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the numbers of the Turkish minority population of366W Bulgaria who have been obliged to leave in the course of 1989; what representations he has made to the Bulgarian Government, and with what effect; in which international fora Her Majesty's Government have raised this abuse of human rights; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWe understand that over 100,000 members of Bulgaria's Turkish minority have fled to Turkey since mid-May. It is probable that the first wave, perhaps several thousand, were deported and that the rest have left voluntarily (albeit as a consequence of long-term harassment), taking advantage of a recent relaxation in Bulgaria's laws on travel.
We have made representations bilaterally to the Bulgarian authorities, invoking stage 1 of the "human dimension" mechanism of the CSCE Vienna concluding document. Numerous other countries have made similar demarches. We also drew attention to the plight of Bulgaria's Turkish minority during the recent conference on the human dimension of the CSCE in Paris. The Bulgarian authorities have provided some information on their policies, but have not so far taken steps to improve the lot of the Turkish minority. We have also raised this matter regularly in UN fora.
We call on the Bulgarian authorities to ensure that those who wish to leave for Turkey may do so in an orderly fashion, and that the rights of those who wish to remain in Bulgaria are respected.