Bozdag pledges to bring Turkish children out of European foster care

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that Turkey has launched a massive campaign and is mobilizing its diplomatic efforts to retrieve Turkish children put in the foster care system of a number of European countries, primarily because the foster families do not share Turkish families' sensitivity and values. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Bozdag said Turkey will tackle the issue of Turkish children who have been put in the European foster care system. In response to a question over a child named Yunus, who was given to a gay couple in the Netherlands, Bozdag said Turkey has launched a campaign to retrieve the child. "We have mobilized all our efforts to provide legal assistance to the family to take back their child, and if that's not possible, then to push for having the child placed with foster parents the Turkish family approves of," Bozdag noted. Stating that European officials do not respect the sensitivities and values held dear by Turkish families, Bozdag said that Turkish families did not want to give their children to gay and lesbian couples. Bozdag added that it was of critical importance that the children should be raised in a cultural environment similar to that of their families.