TURKISH PRESIDENT JOINS IN CRITICISM OF PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW

Asbarez
Dec 22nd, 2009

ANKARA (Today’s Zaman)-President Abdullah Gul on Monday joined
the government’s harsh criticism against Greek Orthodox Patriarch
Bartholomew, whose remarks, in which he likened his treatment by the
government in Turkey to crucifixion, have angered Ankara.

Speaking in an interview with CBS’ "60 Minutes" for a story broadcast
in the United States on Sunday night, Patriarch Bartholomew said
Turkey’s Greek Orthodox community does not enjoy complete freedom as
Turkish citizens and are treated as "second-class citizens."

Asked whether he would consider going to Greece, he said he would
stay in Turkey. "This is the continuation of Jerusalem and for us an
equally holy and sacred land. We prefer to stay here, even crucified
sometimes," said Bartholomew. Asked if he feels crucified, he replied,
"Yes, I do," according to excerpts published by CBS on Friday.

Ankara’s response was swift, as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on
Saturday told reporters: "We consider the crucifixion metaphor an
extremely unfortunate metaphor. In our history, there have never been
crucifixions, and there never will be. I couldn’t really reconcile
this metaphor with his mature personality." President Abdullah Gul,
speaking at a press conference on Monday ahead of his departure
from Ankara for an official visit to Kuwait, was reminded of the
controversial remarks by Bartholomew.

"The foreign minister spoke of the issue extremely well. There is
nothing further to say on the issue," Gul responded briefly.

Ankara’s criticism towards Bartholomew had already garnered a response
from Athens on Sunday when Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gregory
Delavekouras issued a statement saying that among Turkey’s obligations
for joining the European Union is "that respect for freedom of religion
and for the rights of minorities takes precedence."

"It is the duty of all, and mainly those who are responsible for
the situation of the ecumenical patriarch and the Greek minority,
to pay attention," Delavekouras said.

Bartholomew’s remarks sparked further criticism from both the
government and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
on Sunday.

In Izmir, speaking at a conference organized by the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AK Party), Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc
called the patriarch’s criticism "unacceptable," while reiterating
that Turkey doesn’t consider the patriarchate to be ecumenical in
line with the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which governs the status of
the Greek Orthodox Church in Turkey.

Arinc recalled a rare meeting during which Bartholomew and leaders
of the small Armenian, Jewish, Syriac Orthodox and Syriac Catholic
communities had lunch with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and senior ministers, including Arinc, on Buyukada, an island near
mainland Istanbul.

At the meeting held in August, Erdogan promised democratic reforms,
highlighting the issue of minority rights, a key stumbling block
in Turkey’s EU membership bid. Arinc said all religious leaders
attending the August meeting, including Bartholomew, then stated that
they enjoyed their religious rights during the AK Party government
and thanked them for that. "If a speech like this is delivered four
months later, then it is an unfortunate speech," Arinc said.

The CBS interview was recorded in May, months before the Buyukada
gathering.

In Ankara, CHP Deputy Chairman Onur Oymen released a statement in which
he criticized both the patriarch and Davutoglu. Calling Bartholomew’s
remarks "inappropriate," Oymen suggested that Davutoglu’s response
to those remarks was "too weak."