Turkish government delegation visits Verified

On 25 January Verified’s headquarters in Stockholm hosted a visit by a delegation from the government of the republic of Turkey. The delegation comprised Mr. Mehmet Taha Erçin of the Turkish Directorate-General of Migration Management, Mr. Metin Çorabatır of the consultancy company PARTICIP GmbH, Ms. Hande Bardak of the Turkish government’s Central Finance and Contracts Unit and their respective teams and consultants.

The visit was connected with the Turkish government’s plan to set up a nationality detection mechanism to assist in determining the nationality and legal status of irregular migrants arriving in Turkey, many of whom are en route to the European Union. The Turkish government envisages the possibility of using language analysis as one of its tools of nationality detection—thus the visit to Verified.

The ensuing discussion was centred on two related topics: language analysis and expert testimony regarding linguistic behavior. The Turkish delegation received presentations from Verified staff on the subjects of capacity building, minimum requirements for language analysis and general questions connected with language analysis of asylum seekers. Dr Anders Eriksson of the University of Stockholm gave a presentation on forensic phonetics and language analysis.

The meeting was conducted in a cordial atmosphere and proved both enjoyable and educational. Verified thanks the delegation for its visit and looks hopefully forward to working with the Turkish government in contributing to the better securing of Turkey’s—and Europe’s—borders.