Ankara, 1 September 2016 – Paolo Alli, Vice-President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), travelled to Turkey on 1 September to reaffirm the Assembly’s condemnation of the 15 July coup attempt and NATO legislators’ support for Turkish democracy.

Mr Alli addressed the “Democracy and Solidarity Summit” convened by the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Ïsmail Kahraman in response to the failed coup, and involving the leadership of interparliamentary assemblies.

This Summit provided a valuable opportunity for real dialogue about the coup attempt, Turkey’s response, and the reactions of the international community”,
said Alli.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly, through its President, Michael R Turner (United States), immediately condemned the coup attempt which was an affront to democracy. The meeting in Ankara allowed us to reaffirm our steadfast and unambiguous support for Turkey’s democracy, and our solidarity with Turkey and the Turkish people”,
he addedParticipants in the Summit held discussions with the Speaker of Parliament, Ïsmail Kahraman, Prime Minister Binali Bildirim, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

They were also shown the extensive bomb damage in the Grand National Assembly itself and were able to discuss the events of 15 and 16 July with members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. “We were all shocked by the damage done to the Turkish Parliament, and one can only sympathize with the sense of outrage felt by our Turkish friends and colleagues”, Alli stated. “We all conveyed our condolences to the families and friends of those who sacrificed their lives in defence of democracy.

The Speaker of the Parliament, Mr Kahraman stressed that Turkey would remain faithful to the rule of law and international standards and commitments. In the same vein, the emergency measures were temporary and Turkey intended an early return to normality.In addition to the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the Democracy and Solidarity Summit involved leading representatives from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, the Parliamentary Assembly – Union for the Mediterranean, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic Speaking Countries.