Sir, - It is sad, but unfortunately true, to say that Turkey manifests a long history of aggressive intolerance of its minority peoples.
Since Turkey annexed Constantinople a few hundred years ago its Greek population has been a besieged minority on its own lands and subjected to massive expulsions. Early in this century the Armenians in Turkey suffered genocide. Yet this was never acknowledged by any Turkish government.
Now the Kurds are being "ethnically cleansed" from their traditional homelands in south-eastern Turkey by the destruction of thousands of their villages, and by a denial of basic cultural rights. The result is that Kurds are now widely scattered as refugees in Europe and have become our problem too.
Yet Turkey wishes to join the European Union! It would be wise for Turkey to address its human rights record first. - Yours, etc.,
Michael Delmonte, Trafalgar Terrace, Monkstown, Co Dublin.