A 'Parallel State' Scene!..

More than two years have passed since the start of the US-Russia war, disguised as the Russia-Ukraine war, in which Ankara has seriously attempted to act as a mediator.

During this process, the "grain corridor" project undertaken by Turkey, one of the few countries still in contact with Russia, has faltered... Putin, who was said to be coming "any day now," never arrived... And significant progress has been made toward NATO joining the war alongside Ukraine.

On June 15-16, a "Ukraine Peace Conference" was held in Switzerland. Over 90 countries and organizations attended the conference, which was entirely planned by Ukraine and supported by the US and Western countries, but Russia was not invited.

A month before the conference, a Turkish diplomatic official stated to the Russian press agency TASS: "It will not make sense without Russia's participation. It will just be a waste of time."

Russia held the same view; first, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this conference was a "road to nowhere." Then, Putin stated, "We were not invited to the conference. It is impossible to find a solution regarding Ukraine and European security without Russia, without establishing an open and responsible dialogue with us."

China announced it would not attend the conference because Russia was not invited. While Brazilian President Silva also said, "There can be no negotiations without Russia," President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd announced that Turkey would attend the conference.

THE SAME IN NATO

We said, "NATO is also getting involved in the war step by step"; just before that meeting in Switzerland, there was a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels. A special session on Ukraine was held at the meeting, where our country was represented by Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler. Minister Güler attended both this meeting and the signing ceremony for the "letter of intent" organized for Ukraine.

What did these mean? We find the answer in the statements made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after the meeting.

Stoltenberg stated that allied countries had agreed on a plan for NATO to lead security assistance and training coordination for Ukraine, that logistical hubs would be established under the management of the NATO and Allied Command Operations at the US base in Germany, and that approximately 700 personnel from NATO and partner countries were expected to participate in the mission. He provided the following information:

"NATO will oversee the training of the Ukrainian armed forces at training facilities in allied countries. It will support Ukraine through the planning and coordination of aid, manage the transfer and repair of equipment, and provide support for the long-term development of the Ukrainian armed forces... In this way, NATO leaders will be able to launch this effort at the Washington summit in July, and the support we provide to Ukraine will be placed on a more solid foundation for the coming years."

Although Stoltenberg added, "These efforts do not make NATO a party to the conflict, but they will increase our support for Ukraine's right to self-defense," the situation is self-evident.

The part that concerns us is that it is clear Ankara, as a NATO ally, has also approved this plan, which is a new step in the encirclement of Russia. Let us not be surprised if Ukrainian soldiers start training at facilities in our country!..

THIS IS HOW IT IS IN SWITZERLAND

Returning to the "Ukraine Peace Conference" in Switzerland; Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the meeting. Our media covered Fidan's departure and the messages he would deliver there almost as if it were a live broadcast.

In short, Minister Fidan said, "This conference could be the last exit before the bridge," "This conflict between Ukraine and Russia could soon turn into more than a war," and "If Russia had also been in the room, this summit could have been more results-oriented."

While 16 countries and organizations, including India, South Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates, did not sign the final communiqué published after the summit, Turkey did.

What was the Kremlin's reaction to Turkey, Hungary, and Serbia—known to have good relations with Russia—supporting the declaration? Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov merely said, "This will not spoil bilateral relations. Of course, we will take the approaches of these countries into account. This is important for us. We will continue to explain our arguments."

LAUSANNE WAS ALSO VIOLATED IN SWITZERLAND

Before drawing attention to an important detail that was overlooked/ignored at the Ukraine conference, let us briefly recall the following information:

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which was allowed to remain in our country under the Treaty of Lausanne on the condition that it only deals with the religious affairs of our Greek citizens in Istanbul, Bozcaada, and Gökçeada and does not interfere in politics, is a Turkish institution and is affiliated with the Fatih District Governorship. Patriarch Bartholomew, who heads it, is also a Turkish citizen.

However, especially during the AKP government, Patriarch Bartholomew, who began using the title "Ecumenical," which implies leadership over 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, not only opened metropolitanates in many places in our country where not a single Greek lives, but also brought many churches around the world under his authority.

One of them was the Ukrainian Church. In 2018, simultaneously with imperialism's plans for Ukraine, he approved the independence of this church, which was previously affiliated with the Russian Patriarchate. As if he were a head of state, he signed the agreement regarding this with the then-President of Ukraine, Poroshenko. This development meant that the struggle between the West and Russia was also being carried out through religion. Naturally, it drew Russia's reaction.

Turkish citizen Patriarch Bartholomew has also made openly anti-Russian statements on every platform he has attended since the Russia-Ukraine war.

What about the attitude of Putin's friend Erdoğan? Let's go back to 2019.

Elpidophoros, who is now the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in the US following his appointment by the Patriarchate and whose anti-Turkey activities we frequently bring to the agenda despite his Republic of Turkey citizenship, was at that time both the so-called Metropolitan of Bursa and the Abbot of the closed Halki Seminary. Meanwhile, he had played an important role in the Ukrainian Church's separation from the Greek Patriarchate.

At that time, when asked about the attitude of Ankara, which also has close relations with Moscow, toward these developments, he replied:

"Unlike countries influenced by Russia, Turkey's attitude is different. Putin asked President Erdoğan twice to intervene in the Ukrainian Church issue. Once in 2008, and again in 2018. Both times, Erdoğan refused to intervene in our patriarchate. He reacted by saying, 'We live in a secular state in Turkey, the affairs of the Patriarchate are religious affairs. The state does not interfere in religious affairs, the patriarchate is an independent patriarchate.' We appreciate this very much."

In the same interview, regarding "relations with Ankara," Elpidophoros also assessed, "Not just the Patriarchate, but all minorities are living their golden age compared to the previous administration. We were targeted a lot in the past... but the state no longer embraces or implements this attitude. The attitude of the institutions has changed."

WHO DID THE ONLY 'RELIGIOUS LEADER' AT THE CONFERENCE REPRESENT?

Yes, "The attitude of the institutions has changed"... And what a change!..

For the latest example of this, let's look at the detail at the Ukraine conference in Switzerland. The only "religious leader" attending the meeting was Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

He was officially invited 1 month in advance, first by the President of Switzerland, and then by the President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy.

Think about it; both the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Hakan Fidan, and the Turkish citizen Bartholomew are there... Fidan gave a speech, and so did Bartholomew... Bartholomew, with his "Ecumenical" title, explained how he granted independence to the Ukrainian Church...

Our first question is: whom, what, or which country could Bartholomew have been invited to the conference to represent?!

Let's continue; Bartholomew did not just give a speech at the conference; he met with many figures, primarily Zelenskyy, French President Macron, and Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis.

In his post regarding the meeting, Zelenskyy thanked the "Ecumenical Patriarch for his efforts in the development and strengthening of Orthodoxy in Ukraine," while it was reported that in the Mitsotakis-Bartholomew meeting, "satisfaction was expressed regarding the activity concerning the reopening of the Halki Seminary," and that Mitsotakis's "planned visit to Istanbul in the coming period regarding the Patriarchate and the issues of the Greek minority in Turkey" was also discussed.

Since "Ecumenicity" and shoulder-to-shoulder relations with Greece are now considered routine for Ankara, let us not ask questions about these and instead report the flash development of a historical (!) nature.

One of the people Bartholomew met at the conference was Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan!..

The Foreign Minister is meeting in Switzerland with our citizen who is the head of the Patriarchate, which is affiliated with the Fatih District Governorship, is he?!

This is our second question: what could they have discussed? Could Minister Fidan have said to Bartholomew, "What are you doing here?" or "If you were going to come, you should have told us so we could have come together."?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

June 19, 2024