US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6871

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006871 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, TU 
SUBJECT: GOT POSITION ON PATRIARCH'S STATUS HAS NO LEGAL 
BASIS 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 6768 
     B. ANKARA 6628 
     C. ANKARA 6116 
 
Classified By: Classified by Political Counselor John Kunstadter; reaso 
ns 1.4 b and d. 
 
1. (U) Summary: There is no legal basis for the GOT's policy 
of denying the ecumenical status of the Greek Orthodox 
Patriarch in Istanbul, an MFA official acknowledged.  Though 
PM Erdogan and other GOT officials assert that the 1923 
Lausanne Treaty establishes the Patriarch as the spiritual 
leader of only the Greek Orthodox community of Istanbul, the 
treaty in fact makes no reference to the Patriarch. 
Ecumenical status was first granted to the Patriarch in the 
sixth century by a holy synod. End Summary. 
 
------------------------------ 
GOT Officials Cite Lausanne... 
------------------------------ 
 
2. (U) We met on December 8 with Nesrin Bayazit, head of the 
MFA Department of Greek Relations, to discuss the reasoning 
behind the GOT position that the Patriarch in Istanbul has no 
ecumenical status.  As reported reftels A-B, GOT leaders 
protested the use of the term "Ecumenical Patriarchate" on an 
Embassy invitation to a December 2 event held for a group of 
visiting American Orthodox laymen.  PM Erdogan, commenting on 
the invitation, asserted that the 1923 Lausanne Treaty denies 
the Patriarch ecumenical status. 
 
3. (U) Similarly, State Minister Atalay in October publicly 
chastised the Vatican Ambassador for referring to Patriarch 
Bartholomew I as the "Ecumenical Patriarch."  Atalay claimed 
that the Patriarch's status as leader of only the Greek 
Orthodox community of Istanbul is "clearly defined under 
Lausanne."  However, we noted, the Lausanne text makes no 
reference to the Patriarch whatsoever.  We asked whether 
there is any legal basis for the GOT position. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
...But MFA Concedes Treaty Silent on Patriarch 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
4. (U) Bayazit, immediately and offhandedly, acknowledged 
that neither the Lausanne Treaty nor Turkish law defines the 
status of the Patriarch.  It is, however, State policy not to 
recognize the Patriarch as ecumenical. 
 
5. (U) Bayazit showed us portions of the minutes of the 
Lausanne Peace Conference indicating that the Turkish 
delegation proposed abolishing the Patriarchate in exchange 
for allowing Istanbul's Greek population to remain in the 
city.  She noted that the Patriarch had given support to 
invading Greek troops after the First World War, and was 
considered an enemy of the new Republic of Turkey.  In the 
end, the Turkish delegation at Lausanne was forced to accept 
the Patriarchate's continued presence in Istanbul.  The 
Treaty guarantees the rights of "non-Muslim minorities" to 
"establish, manage and control" religious institutions.  But, 
she averred defensively, the treaty -- the "founding document 
of the Republic" -- does not state that the Patriarch has 
ecumenical status, and the GOT therefore maintains that he 
represents only the Greek Orthodox of Istanbul. 
 
6. (U) We noted that the Lausanne Treaty is an 80-year-old 
document and that it does not reflect contemporary Western 
values.  There is nothing preventing the GOT from expanding 
the concept of minority rights beyond the bounds of Lausanne. 
 Bayazit claimed that relations between the GOT and Patriarch 
have improved steadily over time.  The GOT long ago ceased 
interfering in the internal affairs of the Patriarchate or 
restricting the Patriarch's travel.  However, the issue 
remains sensitive.  The GOT will have to move carefully in 
any further efforts to loosen restrictions on the 
Patriarchate, lest "nationalists and other marginal groups" 
use such reforms to stir political controversy.  "People 
don't forget that the Patriarchate is an institution that 
tried to destroy the State," she said. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Ecumenical Title Dates to 6th Century 
------------------------------------- 
 
7. (U) According to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the term 
"ecumenical" was first granted to the Patriarch of 
Constantinople in the sixth century by a synod, and has been 
used ever since.  The Ecumenical Patriarchate currently has 
competence and jurisdiction over the Orthodox churches of a 
number of countries in Europe and the Americas, as well as 
Australia.  The Ecumenical Patriarch provides spiritual 
leadership for approximately 40 dioceses, including thousands 
of churches, philanthropic and educational institutions, and 
millions of Orthodox faithful.  In addition, the Holy Synod 
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate conducts the elections of 
bishops and archbishops for the dioceses under its authority. 
 
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Comment 
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8. (C) Ideally, discussions with the Turks on minority issues 
should not revolve around the Lausanne Treaty.  As a GOT 
human rights board recently reported (reftel C), Lausanne is 
an outmoded document.  However, the GOT constantly refers to 
Lausanne, relying on a gross misinterpretation of the treaty 
to support its positions on a number of religious freedom and 
minority rights issues.  It is worth noting that Article 39 
of Lausanne states that, "No restrictions shall be imposed on 
the free use by any Turkish national of any language in 
private intercourse, in commerce, religion, in the press, or 
in publications of any kind or at public meetings."  The GOT 
ignores this article -- Turkish law has long restricted the 
use of minority languages -- while aggressively upholding a 
non-existent article on the status of the Patriarch. 
 
9. (U) Bayazit betrayed another inconsistency in the Turkish 
position by charging that the Patriarchate tried to destroy 
"the State."  Her remark reflects Turkey's attempt to blur 
the sharp legal break between the Ottoman Empire and the 
Republic of Turkey -- the "State" she refers to pre-dated the 
Republic.  Though 80 years have passed since Turkey's War of 
Independence, the Turkish State continues to view the 
Patriarchate with deep suspicion -- a reality underscored by 
the fact that GOT relations with the Patriarchate are still 
handled by the MFA Department of Greek Relations. 
 
10. (C) Bayazit was first puzzled, then dismissive when we 
expressed concerns that the spiritual center of Orthodoxy 
might be pulled to Moscow if the Ecumenical Patriarchate 
fades away.  Her reaction illustrates another aspect of 
Ankara's lack of analysis and strategic planning on the 
matter. 
 
11. (C) Much of the press commentary on the "ecumenical" 
controversy served to spread the common misperceptions about 
the Patriarch's status.  But several columnists criticized 
the GOT's position and called attention to the fact that 
Lausanne does not address the issue.  A number of writers 
rhetorically asked why the Turkish State insists on rejecting 
the Patriarch's ecumenical status; Radikal columnist Ismet 
Berkan offered an answer: "Because we do not like the 
Greeks." 
EDELMAN