AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES ARCHON VISIT, GREEK ORTHODOX

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006628

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2014
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EU TU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES ARCHON VISIT, GREEK ORTHODOX
ISSUES WITH MFA

REF: A. ISTANBUL 1753

B. ANKARA 895

Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Eric S. Edelman; reasons 1.4 b
and d.


1. (U) Summary: The Ambassador told MFA U/S Tuygan on
November 26 that the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
a New York-based Greek Orthodox group, are visiting Ankara to
discuss religious freedom with the GOT as part of a
pilgrimage involving the transfer of relics from the Vatican
to the Patriarchate in Istanbul. Turkish MPs and GOT leaders
have objected to the Ambassador's decision to host the
Archons at his residence, on the grounds that the GOT does
not recognize the ecumenical status of the Patriarchate.
However, the U.S. disagrees with the GOT on this point, and
has long urged the GOT to seek improved relations with the
Patriarchate in order to expand religious freedom and bolster
Turkey's EU candidacy. The Ambassador raised concerns about
two recent problems relating to the Greek Orthodox community
-- a court ruling upholding the expropriation of a Greek
Orthodox orphanage, and efforts by authorities to tax a
non-profit Greek Orthodox hospital. Tuygan argued it is
inappropriate to host the Archons at a USG event in Turkey.
He denied that the GOT restricts religious freedom, and
accused the Greek Government of restricting the rights of the
Turkish minority in Thrace. End Summary.

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GOT "Shocked" by Reception
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2. (U) The Ambassador noted that he will host a reception at
his residence December 2 in honor of the Archons of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate. He said he understands the GOT does
not recognize the ecumenical status of the Patriarchate, and
that parliamentarians and GOT officials have therefore
objected to the reception. However, the U.S., like other
countries, does not share the GOT interpretation of the
Patriarchate's status. The State Department's annual
Religious Freedom and Human Rights reports refer to the
Patriarchate, as well as Patriarch Bartholomew I, as
"ecumenical." The Archons have been visiting Turkey
regularly for years, and previous U.S. ambassadors have
supported their visits, and hosted them at the residence.
Tuygan said GOT officials were "shocked" to learn that a
reception for the Archons would take place at the residence.
It is one thing for the USG to recognize the Patriarchate as
"ecumenical" in the U.S., but in Turkey this is
inappropriate. Given that this visit is taking place shortly
before the December 17 EU Summit, GOT leaders are wondering
whether this reflects a U.S. attempt to insert
GOT-Patriarchate relations into the EU process. Tuygan
claimed that the Archons have "not always been friendly" in
meetings with GOT officials. The Ambassador said the timing
of the Archon visit is unrelated to the EU. The Archons are
participating in a religious mission to transfer the relics
of two saints from the Vatican to the Patriarchate in
Istanbul, under a special agreement between the Pope and the
Ecumenical Patriarch. They are coming to Ankara as part of
that program.

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U.S. Has Long Advocated Religious Freedom
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3. (C) The Ambassador said the U.S. will not rebuff a group
of Americans traveling to Turkey on a religious pilgrimage
who want to discuss religious freedom with the GOT. The U.S.
has long urged the GOT to improve relations with the
Patriarchate, in order to expand religious freedom and
bolster Turkey's EU candidacy. The Patriarchate is a
centuries-old institution in Turkey. If it can flourish in
Istanbul, it will symbolize Turkey's commitment to religious
freedom. But the Greek Orhodox community in Turkey is
dwindling, and the survival of the Patriarchate is at risk.
If the center of Orthodoxy shifts from Istanbul to Moscow or
Mt. Athos, Turkey's image will suffer, including among the
many Orthodox Americans. Patriarch Bartholomew I is a strong
supporter of Turkey's EU candidacy, and his backing of a
Cyprus settlement drew criticism from church authorities on
Cyprus. If GOT leaders were to engage the Patriarch in a
discussion of GOT-Patriarchate relations, they would find him
reasonable and realistic.


4. (C) The Ambassador said two new problems facing the
Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox community have recently
emerged -- the High Court of Appeals has upheld the effective
expropriation of an historic Greek Orthodox orphanage
building, and authorities have notified the non-profit Greek
Orthodox Balikli Hospital that it owes five years of back
taxes (reftel A). EU Troika officials apparently raised
religious freedom concerns in their November 23 meeting with
GOT representatives. Tuygan argued that the GOT does not
restrict religious freedom. He said the hospital and
orphanage issues are being handled in the legal arena. The
GOT bears no hostility toward the Patriarchate. But there is
another side to the issue: the Greek Government restricts the
religious rights of the Turkish minority in Thrace. Greek
authorities refuse to recognize elected muftus, and instead
appoint muftus. The U.S. Embassy in Athens invites the
appointed muftus, not the elected ones, to events. Tuygan
claimed that the Greek Orthodox in Turkey face far fewer
restrictions than the Turkish minority in Greece.

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Comment
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5. (C) We think two factors explain GOT objections to this
visit of the Archons, whose previous visits did not stir
public controversy. In the run-up to the EU Summit, press
reports are filled with wild speculation about various "new
conditions" the EU will impose on Turkey in exchange for
opening accession talks. At the same time, GOT leaders and
press pundits have stoked anti-American sentiment with
over-the-top comments on the Fallujah operation (septel).
During a February visit to Ankara, the Archons held positive
discussions with three Ministers (reftel B). Unfortunately,
this visit is likely to prove more difficult.


6. (C) While PM Erdogan and some members of his cabinet have
occasionally made conciliatory remarks concerning the
Patriarchate, they have not followed up with action. The
MFA, as indicated by Tuygan's remarks, has steadfastly
refused to take the matter seriously. Although the Greek
Orthodox community in Turkey has dwindled to less than 3,000
-- some estimates place it at 2,000 -- MFA officials continue
to insist that the problems are trivial, and quickly change
the subject to the Turkish minority in Thrace.



EDELMAN