Turkey hopes to grant citizenship to Karman

KONYA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkish FM Davutoğlu (L) hopes to grant citizenship to Tawakkul Karman. AA photo

The Turkish foreign minister expressed hope of granting citizenship to Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize laureate, on March 17.

“I offered to grant her Turkish citizenship, and we hope we can grant citizenship to Karman as soon as possible,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said March 17. “I declare that I accept this citizenship,” said Karman after meeting with Davutoğlu in the central province of Konya. Davutoğlu said he met with Karman in Germany last month as well.

Karman also expressed gratitude to Turkey for its support of rightful national struggles for freedom, and said particularly Turkey’s support of the Arab Spring could never be forgotten.

Karman won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts regarding women’s security and women’s rights in her country. Karman said many people in Yemen were originally from Turkey and she believed her ancestors came from Karaman – a Turkish province near Konya. She said as two Muslim nations, Turkey and Yemen are one community.