Pace invites babacan to address debate on Turkish democracy in Strasbourg

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided to have an urgent debate on the performance of Turkey's democratic institutions during its general session at the end of this month and to invite Foreign Minister Ali Babacan to Strasbourg to make a presentation at the session. Holding such a meeting on the performance of political institutions is important, as it carries the risk of being the first signal of returning to a monitoring mechanism. During the debate, PACE is expected to appoint a Belgian member, Luc Van Den Brande, as rapporteur for Turkey.