Bulgaria backs EU’s ‘grave concern’ about Turkey’s arrests of HDP members
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement backing the position of EU leaders expressing “grave concern” about the arrests by Turkish authorities of the co-leaders and several members of the pro-Kurdish HDP party.
Bulgaria reaffirmed its support for the November 4 statement by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, expressing concern that the arrests may lead to a deterioration of the security situation in the country.
This was particularly worrying at a time when thousands of Bulgarian citizens were to exercise their right to vote in the Republic of Turkey in the November 2016 Bulgarian elections for President and Vice President and the national referendum, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said.
As a neighbouring country, Bulgaria, in constant co-ordination with other EU member states, will closely monitor the situation in Turkey and expects the foundations of parliamentary democracy to be preserved.
HDP joint leaders Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ are accused of spreading propaganda for militants fighting the Turkish state, the BBC reported.
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