Minister Işıkhan: “Turkey continues to play a role in establishing lasting peace in regional conflicts and wars”

Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan stated, ‘Turkey continues to play a role in establishing permanent peace in regional conflicts and wars.’ Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan participated in the ‘High-Level Conference on the European Social Charter’ held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, under the cooperation of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Social Security and Labor of Lithuania, under the auspices of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of Europe. Speaking at the fourth session titled ‘Assessment – The Way Forward’ of the conference, Işıkhan emphasized that the European Social Charter has been a cornerstone in the development of social rights in Europe since the 1960s and in improving the lives of millions of people. Stressing that in a world experiencing unprecedented transformations and challenges, social rights are becoming increasingly important every day, Işıkhan stated: ‘In this context, we believe that the recent reforms adopted by the Committee of Ministers play a crucial role in modernizing the European Social Charter system and effectively addressing these challenges. Today, by approving the Political Declaration of the Council of Europe’s 75th anniversary, we are not only reaffirming our commitment to the principles of the Charter, but also charting a course for our future activities aimed at strengthening the role of the Council of Europe in the field of social rights. I would like to underline that by accepting 29 out of 31 Articles and 91 out of 98 paragraphs of the Revised European Social Charter, we have demonstrated our unwavering commitment to social rights. This places Turkey among the countries with the highest acceptance of provisions in the Revised European Social Charter among the Contracting Parties.’
‘Turkey takes bold steps through comprehensive reforms to advance social rights.’ Highlighting that Turkey takes bold steps through comprehensive reforms to advance social rights, Işıkhan stated that Turkey has always demonstrated its commitment to social justice by providing humanitarian and development assistance, especially in difficult times. Minister Işıkhan said, ‘Turkey encourages collective action to build a world where social justice prevails, particularly for people in sensitive areas, by participating in both the Global Coalition for Social Justice and as a member of the Coordination Group. Turkey continues to play a leading role in preventing humanitarian tragedies and establishing permanent peace in regional conflicts and wars with the principle that ‘there are no winners in war.’ The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is a clear example of this determination.’
‘Turkey will continue to stand by the Palestinian people whose right to life is under attack.’ Addressing the conflict in Palestine at the conference, Işıkhan continued, ‘As we talk about the importance of protecting social justice and social rights today, all basic rights of the Palestinian people in Gaza are violated by Israel. In this context, we strongly condemn the brutal massacres in Gaza. Under the strong leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey will continue to stand by the Palestinian people whose right to life is under attack. I call on all states and international organizations to support the Palestinian people during this difficult time and not to remain silent in the face of this humanitarian crisis.’ Minister Işıkhan also held a bilateral meeting with Vytautas ilinskas, the Minister of Social Security and Labor of Lithuania, within the scope of the program. During the meeting, the determination to strengthen bilateral dialogue between the Ministries of the two countries was emphasized. Meeting with Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Işıkhan made evaluations regarding global changes in the field of labor and social security.