Erdogan's ally: Those who use the "Ecumenical" title are enemies of Muslims

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Phanar's Facebook

In Turkey, an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of Turkish nationalists Devlet Bahçeli, criticized Patriarch Bartholomew, according to BTA.

Specifically, he stated that the head of the Constantinople Patriarchate had no right to sign documents during the Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15-16.

According to him, the law on the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic and the relevant provisions of the Lausanne Treaty were deliberately ignored at the peace conference on Ukraine held in Switzerland.

Devlet Bahçeli stressed that the status of the "Greek Patriarchate in Phanar" is clear and that "the Patriarchate is an institution that has the right to remain on Turkish territory only to meet the religious needs of the Orthodox Greek minority and is subject to the laws of the Turkish Republic."

"There is no city called Constantinople within the borders of the Turkish Republic, the title 'Ecumenical' has no legitimacy, and those who claim otherwise are Byzantine enthusiasts and staunch enemies of the Muslim Turkish nation. No one has the power to turn Istanbul into a second Vatican," he underscored, adding that Turks will respond and stand against "those who play the ecumenical card".

As the UOJ reported, Turkish authorities requested explanations from the organizers of the Swiss peace conference on Ukraine for including the Constantinople Patriarchate in the list of signatories of the joint declaration.

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