Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan has urged Chinese authorities to protect the cultural rights of minority Muslim Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang and allow them to “live their values,” a Turkish official said on Wednesday.
Fidan on Wednesday concluded a three-day visit to China, where he met with his Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), Vice President Han Zheng (韓正) and other officials. He also traveled to the cities of Urumqi and Kashgar in Xinjiang, becoming the first Turkish official to travel to the region since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited in 2012.
Turkey has cultural and ethnic ties to the Uighurs and many members of the community, fleeing human rights violations in the region, have found sanctuary in Turkey.
Photo: Reuters
China is accused of sending more than 1 million Uighurs and other largely Muslim minorities into prisons and detention camps.
Beijing denies human rights abuses and says the centers were for vocational training.
The Turkish government, which once vehemently criticized China’s treatment of Uighurs, has moderated its criticism as it developed stronger economic relations with Beijing.
Fidan told Chinese officials during his meetings that Turkey respects China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Turkish official said.
However, the minister added that the Turkish people and the Islamic world have “sensitivities” concerning the protection of Uighurs’ cultural rights, the official said.
Fidan conveyed the message that removing the concerns “would be of great benefit to everyone,” said the official, who provided the information on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
China is Turkey’s third-largest trading partner. Ankara is trying to reduce a trade imbalance that is in China’s favor by urging it to import more Turkish agricultural goods, increase investments and motivate more Chinese tourists to visit the nation, the official said.
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