Parliamentary Assembly Assemblée Parlementaire

---

Doc. 11006
7 July 2006

The cultural situation of the Kurds

Report
Committee on Culture, Science and Education
Rapporteur: Lord Russell-Johnston, United Kingdom, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

---

Summary

With this report the Assembly draws attention to the cultural situation of the 25 to 30 million Kurds who live mainly in the mountainous region where Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey meet and who constitute one of the largest “stateless nations” in the world.

The Assembly reaffirms that cultural and linguistic diversity are precious resources that enrich the European heritage and reinforce the identity of each country and individual. It proposes the assistance of the Council of Europe to help the countries concerned in the protection of this particular culture.

The Assembly encourages Turkey, as a Council of Europe member state, but also Iran, Iraq and Syria to acknowledge that the Kurdish language and culture are part of the heritage of their own country, that they are a richness that is worth being preserved and not a threat to be combated and asks them to take the necessary measures.

Please view all document at Council of Europe