US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6768

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006768 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, TU 
SUBJECT: ARCHONS MEET WITH FM GUL 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 6628 
 
     B. ANKARA 895 
     C. ISTANBUL 1753 
     D. ANKARA 6229 
 
Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Eric S. Edelman; reasons 1.4 b 
and d. 
 
1. (U) Summary: Representatives of the Archons of the 
Ecumenical Patriarchate, a U.S.-based group of Greek Orthodox 
laymen, met with FM Gul December 2 during a religious 
pilgrimage to Turkey.  The Archons urged Gul to take action 
to reverse the process of State expropriation of Greek 
Orthodox properties.  They averred that Turkey's Greek 
Orthodox community is in crisis, and the continued survival 
of the Patriarchate in Istanbul is in doubt.  Turkey's Greek 
Orthodox community has dwindled to approximately 2,000, and 
there is no available successor to replace Patriarch 
Bartholomew I.  They called on Gul to reach agreement with 
the Patriarchate on the re-opening of the Halki Seminary, 
and to help prevent a non-profit Greek Orthodox hospital from 
closing due to exorbitant back taxes.  Gul maintained that 
the GOT is committed to religious freedom, and is working to 
resolve problems through legal reform.  Gul attempted to 
minimize the problems facing the Patriarchate.  He said there 
are also restrictions against the practice of Islam in 
Turkey, including the ban on headscarves at universities, and 
there is no discrimination against non-Muslims.  The 
Ambassador hosted a reception for the full 80-member Archon 
delegation at his residence, and the Archons held a banquet 
in the Ambassador's honor.  The GOT issued a written 
directive advising public officials not to attend the events, 
on the grounds that the GOT does not recognize the ecumenical 
status of the Patriarchate.  End Summary. 
 
------------------------------------- 
"Ecumenical" Title Sparks Controversy 
------------------------------------- 
 
2. (C) After traveling to Istanbul as part of a pilgrimage 
involving the transfer of the relics of two saints from the 
Vatican to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Archons came to 
Ankara December 2.  The Ambassador held a reception for the 
80-member delegation at his residence, and the Archons held a 
banquet in the Ambassador's honor at the Hilton.  The 
Archons' visit drew sharp controversy after Turkish MPs and 
GOT leaders raised objections related to the group's formal 
title, "The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate" (reftel 
A).  Turkey does not recognize the ecumenical status of the 
Patriarchate.  The GOT issued a circular directing public 
officials not to attend the reception or banquet.  The Archon 
leadership declined GOT offers of meetings with Yusuf 
Beyazit, head of the General Directorate of Foundations; Ali 
Bardakoglu, chairman of the Religious Affairs Directorate 
(Diyanet); and Ertugrul Apakan, MFA Deputy U/S.  The 
Ambassador did attend the meetings, and raised issues 
relating to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.  Anthony Limberakis, 
head of the Archon delegation, told us the Archons (who had 
requested a meeting with PM Erdogan) wanted to meet with 
higher-level officials, and were upset about the GOT reaction 
to their visit.  The Archons did accept a last-minute 
appointment with FM Gul. 
 
------------------------------ 
Archons: "Flame is Flickering" 
------------------------------ 
 
3. (U) Limberakis told Gul he and the other Archons were 
"jubilant" after meeting in February with Education Minister 
Celik, Interior Minister Aksu, and State Minister Aydin 
(reftel B).  They left Turkey confident the GOT was committed 
to improving relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. 
Today, however, the Greek Orthodox community is as 
discouraged as it has ever been.  There has been no progress 
on the re-opening of the Patriarchate's Halki seminary, and 
the State continues the process of expropriating Greek 
Orthodox properties.  Letters from the Patriarchate to PM 
Erdogan have gone unanswered.  Limberakis called this an 
"emergency."  The Greek Orthodox population in Turkey has 
dwindled to fewer than 2,000 people (Note: This is consistent 
with some estimates we have seen.  End Note).  The survival 
of the Patriarchate is at stake -- "the flame is flickering." 
 Limberakis said the GOT should recognize the Patriarchate as 
a "treasure of Turkey," a centuries-old institution providing 
spiritual leadership to tens of millions of Orthodox faithful 
worldwide.  He urged Gul to take action to enable the 
Patriarchate to survive, and thrive, in Turkey. 
 
--------------------- 
Gul Counsels Patience 
--------------------- 
 
4. (U) Gul, somewhat derisively, maintained that the problems 
faced by the Patriarchate are relatively minor.  He said 
Turkey has a history of religious tolerance.  The majority 
Muslim population also has concerns; for example, pious 
Muslim women are not allowed to wear Islamic headscarves on 
university campuses.  Gul insisted the State does not 
discriminate against non-Muslims.  The GOT is gradually 
working to solve problems relating to religious freedom.  Gul 
cited recent reforms aimed at loosening restrictions on 
non-Muslims, such as a law allowing non-Muslim foundations to 
acquire property, and a regulation designed to facilitate 
board elections for minority religious foundations.  He 
acknowledged that these reforms were insufficient, but urged 
the Archons to be patient and trust in the GOT's good will. 
Limberakis averred that time is running out for the 
Patriarchate and the community it serves.  Turkish law 
requires that the Patriarch be a Turkish citizen, but there 
is no qualified successor in the wings to replace Ecumenical 
Patriarch Bartholomew I.  The Ambassador added that the USG, 
including members of Congress, is concerned that the center 
of Orthodoxy will move to Mt. Athos or Moscow, which would be 
a great loss for Turkey. 
 
------------------------- 
Hospital Faces Closure... 
------------------------- 
 
5. (U) Limberakis said the Greek Orthodox are worried about 
efforts by tax authorities to charge Balikli Hospital, a 
non-profit Greek Orthodox facility in Istanbul, five years of 
back taxes at the exorbitantly high rate of 40 percent 
(reftel C).  Limberakis, a physician, said Balikli treats 
30,000-40,000 Turkish patients a year.  It contains one of 
only two drug and rehabilitation centers in Turkey.  Hospital 
officials will have to close the facility if they are forced 
to pay.  Ahmet Davutoglu, Prime Ministry chief foreign policy 
advisor, said institutions such as Balikli were tax exempt 
until 1999.  However, under current laws the state may tax 
the commercial operations of non-profit foundations.  In 
addition to its charitable activities, the hospital also 
engages in commercial activities.  He claimed the law is 
being applied to all kinds of institutions across the board 
-- the Greek Orthodox are not being singled out. 
 
------------------------------ 
...While Seminary Remains Shut 
------------------------------ 
 
6. (U) Limberakis noted that the Patriarchate's Halki 
Seminary has been closed since 1971, when the State 
nationalized all private institutions of higher learning. 
Without the seminary, the Patriarchate is unable to train new 
clergy.  The Ambassador recalled that he had recently met 
with Minister Celik to discuss options for reopening Halki 
(reftel D).  Celik had said there were no GOT-Patriarchate 
discussions on Halki and no new developments.  The Ambassador 
asked whether the GOT has since made any progress.  Gul said 
the GOT wants to find a solution for Halki, but the issue has 
become entangled in political controversy, making it more 
difficult to resolve. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
7. (C) Gul had obviously not been briefed on the issues, and 
was defensive at various points.  Turks almost universally 
believe their country has an impeccable record of tolerance 
toward minority religions.  They have been taught that, while 
Europe was wracked by religious conflict, the Ottoman Empire 
allowed non-Muslim communities to run some of their own 
affairs (though they were treated as second-class subjects), 
and that Jews migrated to Istanbul after being expelled from 
Spain in 1492.  There is little awareness of how the concept 
of religious freedom has evolved in the West since that 
period. 
8. (C) Turkish sensitivity to the ecumenical status of the 
Patriarchate is partly rooted in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty. 
The Turkish State maintains that the treaty obligates Turkey 
to accept the Patriarchate's continued presence in Istanbul, 
but does not require Turkey to recognize its ecumenical 
status.  Turkey officially regards the Patriarch as the 
leader of only the Greek Orthodox community residing in 
Turkey.  Turkish politicians and pundits often allege that 
use of the title "ecumenical" is part of a plot to turn the 
Patriarchate into an "Orthodox Vatican" independent from 
Turkey.  Some also argue that since the Turkish Republic 
abolished the Caliphate, it cannot allow a non-Muslim leader 
to have ecumenical status.  Sensitivities are also 
exacerbated by historic conflict between the Greeks and 
Turks.  When we discuss the Patriarchate with GOT officials, 
they often make reference to the fact that Greeks in Istanbul 
cheered invading Greek soldiers after the First World War, or 
that the Patriarch in 1919 sent telegrams to Paris urging the 
Allies to return "Constantinople" to Greece. 
EDELMAN