Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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230. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has expressed concerns at European Union level regarding Turkey’s application for membership of the European Union, given the human rights abuses being carried out against the people of Kurdistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8872/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Ireland supports the accession of Turkey to the EU. However, the domestic situation in Turkey remains a matter of concern, both for Ireland and our European partners and I would like to reiterate the serious concern I have expressed several times already in this House at the escalation of violence since the breakdown of the ceasefire between the Turkish Government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) last summer. The Government also remains concerned at the broader situation of fundamental freedoms in Turkey, particularly with regard to freedom of expression and the media.

Both rule of law and human rights issues are, of course, an integral part of the EU accession process and this was highlighted in the most recent Progress Report on Turkey, which was published by the European Commission in November 2015. The Government has been consistently clear that all criteria and benchmarks in this process must be met. Ireland, along with our EU partners, will continue our dialogue with Turkey on these very important issues, including as part of the accession process.