Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kıran urged international action to eliminate discrimination against diasporas on Monday, as he highlighted the importance of diasporas for the countries they reside in.
"We call on the international community to take concrete steps to eliminate all forms of discrimination against diasporas," Kıran said, addressing the Global Diaspora Summit organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Dublin via videoconference.
Noting that Turkey is a strong partner of the IOM in the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, Kıran said: "We are actively involved in all initiatives to protect the dignity, welfare and human rights of migrants."
He underlined that diaspora communities are facing tough challenges and that the threats of Islamophobia, xenophobia, discrimination and racism are on the rise, especially in Europe.
The Turkish community in the West has been concerned with the rising trend of Islamophobia and Turkophobia in Western countries and has called on states to adopt tougher measures against hate crimes.
Turkey has a large diaspora living in the West, particularly in Europe. According to the Foreign Ministry, the Turkish diaspora exceeds 6.5 million people, with around 5.5 million of them living in Western European countries. The growing anti-Muslim hatred and far-right sentiment in these countries have significantly impacted these communities.
Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have frequently urged European decision-makers and politicians to take a stance against racism and other types of discrimination that have threaten the lives of millions of people living within the bloc’s borders.
Diaspora communities provide support for the sustainable development of both the host countries and the countries they come from, Kıran said.
Kıran said more than 200 million migrant workers worldwide help their families with their remittances. He added that diaspora members act as social, economic and cultural bridges as politicians, entrepreneurs, innovators and opinion leaders in the societies they live in.
"The Turkish diaspora is well integrated into the countries they live in and they have become valuable members of the society they live in," he said, noting that Turkey is home to one of the largest diaspora communities of over 5 million.
Providing examples of the achievements of Turkish society, Kıran said that more than 2,600 politicians of Turkish origin assumed political positions in Europe and the U.S. and that eight members of the European Parliament, three ministers and 91 deputies were of Turkish origin.
Also, 100,000 Turkish businesses generate an annual income of 50 billion euros ($54.8 billion) in Germany, he said.
"The founders of BioNTech, Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin, are an important example of the diasporas being a strong driving force for sustainable development.
"We make every effort to strengthen the well-being of the Turkish community abroad," he added.
Regarding Ankara's expectations from European governments on the matter, Kıran said: "We want to see a more open approach to cooperation in meeting the educational and religious needs of the Turkish society."