Biden criticizes Turkey’s withdrawal from a European convention to protect women from violence

US President Joe Biden criticized Ankara’s decision to withdraw from the “Istanbul Agreement” signed in 2011, which aims to protect women from domestic violence, saying it is a “disappointing” step.

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The US President added in a statement: “Countries should work to reinforce and renew their obligations to end violence against women, and not reject international treaties aimed at protecting women and holding violators accountable,” stressing that “this is a frustrating step backward.”

The Turkish Official Gazette had reported earlier that Turkey had withdrawn from the Istanbul Agreement, according to a decree issued by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

For his part, Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu stressed that “the presence or absence of international agreements does not reduce or increase our responsibilities to prevent any form of (potential) crime to which our citizens will be exposed.”

This came in a statement issued by Soylu, commenting on his country’s withdrawal from the treaty concerned with stopping violence against women.

Source: “Reuters” + RT

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