6. Will the Minister make a statement about the Welsh Government's relations with Turkey? OAQ53908

Wales and Turkey enjoy a cordial relationship focused on education, trade and cultural links. The Turkish ambassador to the UK visited Wales in the new year, and last week we received a delegation from the Turkish ministry of education.

Thank you, Minister, for that. You'll be aware that Imam Sis, a Kurdish citizen now residing in Wales, has been on hunger strike for 157 days. I know you're aware of it because I know that the community much appreciates the private visit that you made to talk to him. But I wonder what progress, if any, has been made on persuading the Turkish Government to end the total isolation of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, which is the reason why Imam Sis is heading for taking his own life in the cause that he feels so passionately about. As this is not a devolved matter—foreign affairs are largely the responsibility of the UK Government and the UK Parliament—have you been ascertain what the local MP, Jessica Morden, has been able to do in the UK Parliament, and what Jeremy Hunt's response has been to the plight of our citizen, which I know is a cause for huge concern amongst my constituents and many other people's?

Thank you. We are, of course, extremely concerned about the condition of Imam Sis, and that's why, a few weeks ago, I wrote to the Foreign Secretary asking him to consider the situation and the concerns that were expressed here in the Assembly. Of course, we do recognise that foreign affairs is a reserved area, but it is important, when people feel strongly about a particular area, that we can communicate that to the Foreign Secretary. We did that. I still haven't had a response from the Foreign Secretary on that matter, but what I can report to you is that I know that the UK Government raised the Öcalan case with the Turkish authorities and the Turkish ambassador last week. I know that Öcalan has had access to lawyers, on 2 May, and that was the first time in a number of years that that has happened, but he's also asked the hunger strikers not to continue to the point that it threatened their health or they risked death. So, we are extremely concerned about the situation with Imam Sis.

I'm sure, like me, you'll want to thank the UK Government for raising concerns about human rights abuses in Turkey. You've quite rightly said that this is a non-devolved matter, but one thing about Turkey is that we've obviously got a significant Turkish diaspora here in Wales, and I think it is important that we use the opportunities that are there in terms of those links with the Turkish diaspora and their links back home to promote positive relationships with Turkey, where Wales can have a positive impact on social attitudes in that country. So, can I ask you what work you and your officials are doing with the Turkish diaspora in particular in order to promote those civil society links, in order to change some of the attitudes towards human rights and other matters in Turkey that perhaps don't fit with our social values here in Wales?

Thank you. Well, I spoke initially about the fact that we are focused on education, trade and cultural links with Turkey. Turkey is indeed the country where we send—. It's the eleventh biggest export market for us, so it's not an insignificant nation in that sense. Of course, we are keen to ensure that we continue our dialogue with civil society, and that visit by the Turkish ambassador also meant that he was able to go and speak to and visit some Turkish companies that have been based here and have invested here in Wales.