The EU and Minority Rights in Turkey

The Turkish state pursues a two-pronged policy toward minorities. First, Turkey follows a pseudo-conciliatory policy in responding to European Union (EU) pressures and demands. Turkey presents an image of a responsible state in fulfilling the EU criteria, while in fact trying to prevent any significant change the accession process might encourage in its traditional minority regime. For example, the Turkish state points out its cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), but this cooperation is mainly motivated by fighting against intolerance and discrimination toward Muslims. Second, the Turkish state employs restrictive measures and political maneuvers in minority rights in the domestic scene. The aim of the Turkish policy is to stay within the boundaries of the Treaty of Lausanne and prioritize national security considerations over minority issues. However, Turkeyʼs traditional minority regime falls short even of the requirements of Lausanne, while bringing the Lausanne legal framework to the fore against the EU demands and pressures. The Turkish state follows this dual policy of pseudo-conciliation vis-a-vis EU demands with an understanding that it can handle the whole process through diplomatic negotiation and domestic legal and political measures. The minority issue we discuss below reflects this attitude.