US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6628

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 
-------------------------- 
 
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 
----------------------------------------- 
 
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