Candan addresses PACE General Assembly

The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Member of Parliament Armağan Candan addressed the General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during its winter plenary session in Strasbourg.

Representing the Republic’s Assembly MP Candan delivered a speech highlighting the ongoing challenges forced by Turkish Cypriot youth, particularly to Council of Europe programmes which he describes as a significant disadvantage. He underlined that the Cyprus issue should not be used as a justification to exclude Turkish Cypriot youth from European and international youth initiatives and pointed out that, like their Greek Cypriot peers, they deserve an inclusive solution allowing them to participate in Council of Europe activities.

MP Candan described the Youth Delegate initiative under the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as a reelvant example that encourages young people’s participation in public life and decision-making mechanisms, underlining the inability of Turkish Cypriot youth to access any Council of Europe programme constituting a serious disadvantage.

As highlighted in the report, Candan emphasized the need for targeted efforts to reach young people who don’t have access to institutional channels of participation, reiterating once again that the ongoing Cyprus issue should not serve as grounds for excluding Turkish Cypriot youth from European and international youth initiatives.

Concluding his remarks, Candan stated that “it is now the young people’s turn to speak” and called for “opening up space for them.”