Turkey demands explanation for Phanar's signing 'Peace Summit' Communiqué
Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: nv.ua
Turkish authorities have requested explanations from the organizers of the Swiss peace conference on Ukraine due to the inclusion of the Ecumenical Patriarch in the list of signatories to the joint declaration.
Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Onjyu Keçeli, denied reports that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew participated in the summit and held bilateral meetings with Turkey's Foreign Minister.
"The reports stating that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate participated in the peace summit on Ukraine held in Switzerland on June 15-16, 2024, with state status, and that Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held an official meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew on the sidelines of the meeting, do not reflect reality. We have demanded explanations from Switzerland and Ukraine, as organizers [of the conference], regarding claims that the name of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate was later added as a signatory to the joint communique following the summit," the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said.
Keçeli underscored that Turkey's state policy regarding the Phanar remains unchanged. Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that they do not recognize Bartholomew's title as "Ecumenical Patriarch", noting that according to the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, he retains the status of the head of the Greek Orthodox community in Turkey.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Zelensky thanked the head of the Phanar for signing the 'Peace Summit' communique.
Read also
UOC priest injured in drone attack in Donetsk region
The rector of a church in the village of Vyrivka sustained head injuries when a drone struck his car.
Coptic Patriarch prays at Liturgy in St. George’s Church at Phanar
On the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, the head of the Coptic Church, Tawadros II, attended Patriarch Bartholomew’s Liturgy and recited the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic.
FRG priest: Orthodoxy has a great future in Germany
Orthodoxy in Germany is increasingly finding its place in society – not as an alternative, but as a way of life, says Priest Mladen Janić, rector of a Serbian parish in Cologne.
Hurricane-force winds damage UOC church in Vinnytsia
The roof of the Dormition Church in the Vinnytsia Eparchy was damaged by the storm.
Scholars restore 42 pages of Apostle Paul's lost letters
Researchers discovered unique commentaries on Scripture and reconstructed an ancient system of chapter divisions.
Widows of late UOC priests supported in Kyiv
A meeting for the wives of late Kyiv clergy was held on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.