"Our compliance with the ECHR is around 90 percent"

The GNAT European Union Harmonization Commission convened under the chairmanship of AK Party Van Deputy Burhan Kayatürk. Speaking at the opening of the commission meeting, Kayatürk stated that Commission Spokesperson, MHP Kahramanmaraş Deputy Zuhal Karakoç had a traffic accident and was in good health after the surgery. Kayatürk also said that Karakoç's treatment continues in Ankara and expressed his wishes for a speedy recovery. Then, the commission's deputy chairman elections took place. As a result of the elections, New Party Izmir Deputy Yüksel Taşkın was elected as deputy chairman.

'EU IS SUFFERING BY ACCEPTING THE GREEK CYPRUS ADMINISTRATION AS A MEMBER'

Then, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kemal Bozay made a presentation to the MPs. Stating that the European Union (EU) needs Türkiye's capacity, Bozay noted that the relations between Türkiye and the EU are directly related to the security of Europe. He added that Türkiye's high-level contacts with the EU have increased, and in this context, the European Investment Bank has restarted its activities towards Türkiye, and the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission has recently met with the application for the Single European Payments Area. Emphasizing that the EU attaches great importance to the Cyprus issue, Bozay said, "The EU is suffering because it made a big mistake and accepted the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC) as a member. We are working to ensure that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Turkish Cypriots living there will not lose their rights in any way." Bozay additionally said that steps have been taken to facilitate the visa liberalization process and that they expect relief in 2027 due to the work carried out.

'WE ARE MEMBER OF THE ECHR COUNCIL'

Stating that they are preparing a pact with the EU on migration management, Bozay stated that there are hesitations within the EU regarding the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Then, opposition MPs shared their opinions, suggestions and questions. Evaluating the words of İYİ Party Sakarya Deputy Lütfü Türkkan about Türkiye's compliance rate with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Bozay said, "We are a member of the Council of Europe. We are not a member of the European Union, but if I am not mistaken, we have a rate of around 90 percent in terms of compliance with the decisions."

'NO ONE IS A BLACK SPOON FROM MILK'

Bozay stated that although Türkiye implemented some decisions to enter the EU, it encountered different attitudes from the EU countries, and said, "Nobody in this picture is a pure white spoon. For example, in the Cyprus issue, there are usurped lands and many situations against human rights. The European Council took a decision on this issue and said to Turkey, 'You will pay compensation'. We said, 'It is our duty, okay, the decision of the European Court'."

'IT IS NOT EASY TO RECOVER DUE TO THE COUP'

Stating that the judiciary, diplomacy and security institutions entered the recovery process after the July 15 coup attempt, Bozay said, "It is not easy to recover from this coup. You will say, 'Years have passed since this coup,' but judges, prosecutors and diplomats do not grow like such flowers. We also have a rebuilding process behind some of our problems." Bozay noted that the EU acts with double standards against Türkiye and that the union should review its human rights standards in the face of developments in Gaza.