PATRIARCHATE,S READOUT OF PM ERDOGAN AND PATRIARCH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000326 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2019 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV TU GR OSCE SUBJECT: PATRIARCHATE,S READOUT OF PM ERDOGAN AND PATRIARCH MEETING REF: A. ISTANBUL 323 ¶B. 08 ISTANBUL 382 ¶C. 07 ISTANBUL 873 Classified By: DPO Win Dayton for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. Summary. (C) Press officer for the Ecumenical Patriarchate Father Dositheos on August 18 elaborated to poloff about the August 15 conversation between Prime Minister Erdogan and the Ecumenical Patriarch (Ref A). Dositheos reported that during his visit to the Greek sites on the island (the first by a Turkish Prime Minister),Erdogan implied to the Patriarch that the non-Turkish members of the Holy Synod should apply for Turkish citizenship. He also requested the Patriarch's help in attaining greater rights for the Muslim minority in Greece while commenting positively on the Patriarchate's intended use of the Buyukada Orphanage facility. European attendees at the lunch suggested that the United States played and continues to play a significant role in the GOT's recent movements toward democratic reform. End summary. Buyukada Orphanage Still Not in Patriarchate's Hands -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) According to Dositheos, the group toured the Buyukada Orphanage. In July 2008 the European Court of Human Rights entered judgment in favor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and against the Government of Turkey (GOT) in a case concerning the Patriarchate's title to this former orphanage that had been annulled by the Turkish authorities (ref B). According to Dositheos, the GOT has yet to hand over the property title to the Patriarchate. He acknowledged that the delay may be due to the need to convert the property's foundation status from mazbut (controlled by the GOT) to one fully controlled by a Greek Orthodox community foundation. Erdogan reportedly replied that he would be happy to see the orphanage facility used as a center of ecological studies and interfaith dialogue as the Patriarch planned, and he then gathered his ministers together for a private discussion that lasted several minutes, according to Dositheos. He had not yet learned of the content of this discussion, he said. The Question of the Holy Synod and Succession -------------- - ¶3. (C) Dositheos reported that during the walk, lawyer Kezban Hatemi (one of the event's organizers),told Erdogan that one of the biggest mistakes of the Turkish state was to "neglect the rights of the country's minorities and to violate the Lausanne Treaty." Erdogan replied by asking if the GOT's implicit approval of the six non-Turkish members of the Patriarchate's Holy Synod should be considered a violation of the Lausanne Treaty, Dositheos said (Ref C). (Note: The members of the Holy Synod elect the next Ecumenical Patriarch from among their ranks. According to a mandate from the Istanbul Governorship in 1923 and 1970, the members of the Synod must be Turkish citizens as the Patriarch must be a Turkish citizen. End note.) Erdogan reportedly said, "We overlooked the appointments out of love and concern for our Greek Orthodox brothers" and then asked the Patriarch why the Patriarchate has not pursued obtaining Turkish citizenship for any of the six non-Turkish appointees. Dositheos said the Patriarch did not respond to this question. Erdogan Requests Greater Rights for Muslim Minority in Greece -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) According to Dositheos, Erdogan later asked the Patriarch to request of Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis that the mosque in Athens be completed and the Turkish minority in Thrace be given more rights, including the right to elect the community's imams. Dositheos said the Patriarch responded that he has always asked for greater rights for the Muslims in Greece. Touching upon Halki -------------- ¶5. (C) Dositheos said that the Patriarch had gestured to Heybeli Island during the walk and said, "That building there, the Halki seminary, belongs to us." Erdogan responded that "by the beginning of the academic year the problem would be resolved." Dositheos commented that he does not know what "problem" would be resolved and noted that Erdogan said no more on the topic within the group. However, the Patriarch and Erdogan spoke together privately for fifteen minutes. ISTANBUL 00000326 002 OF 002 When Dositheos asked what was discussed, the Patriarch only said "we feel hopeful" but nothing more. When the two rejoined the group, the Patriarch invited Erdogan to visit the Patriarchate and Halki. The Prime Minister did not respond, but Bagis and Arinc both accepted the invitation to visit the Patriarchate. Dositheos said he and the Patriarch would follow up with their offices when the Patriarch returns this weekend. According to Dositheos, for the four weeks prior to the lunch, the Patriarchate and the German Ambassador had been trying to set a date for the Patriarch to meet with Bagis with no success. A Warm Exchange -------------- ¶6. (C) At the end of the tour the Patriarch presented Erdogan with a tespih (non-denominational prayer beads) blessed by himself at a monastery in Greece. In return, Erdogan reached in his pocket and gave the Patriarch his personal tespih. The Patriarch responded to this gesture in kind and gave Erdogan his own personal tespih from his pocket. Speculation on U.S. Influence on Reform Process -------------- --- ¶7. (C) Acting German CG in Istanbul Peter von Wessendonk contended that President Obama's visit and continued pressure on Erdogan and the GOT is at the base of the recent turnabout and focus on democratic reforms. He speculated that Erdogan and the GOT had been at an impasse and now are pushing to remove stumbling blocks on the way to reforms. "Turkey has come a great distance but still has hiccups." More than anything, Erdogan "doesn't want to get it from Obama a second time." According to Wessendonk, the United States carries much more weight than the European Union, in part because the U.S. is not involved in the carrots and sticks of EU accession. Wessendonk's perspective on the influence of Obama's visit tracked with the opinion of the Greek Deputy Principal Officer who also attended the lunch (Ref A). ¶8. (SBU) Comment: While no concrete resolutions have come from the August 15 meeting, the Patriarchate appears cautiously optimistic. We will probe our GOT counterparts to learn more about GOT intentions, and look for opportunities to spur both parties to build on the constructive weekend atmospherics. End Comment. WIENER