Who Did Erdoğan Dine With at the Republic Dinner?!

We celebrated the 100th anniversary of our Republic with pride, but with a heavy heart.

The reason for this bitterness was that the State did not organize events worthy of the 100th year, nor did it leave behind any lasting work to commemorate this very special day.

As October 29 approached, they settled for merely ordering homes and cars to be decorated with flags... While a Gaza rally was held in Istanbul the day before, October 29 was brushed off with a classic State ceremony... The most painful part was that the Turkish Navy, which had been targeted for destruction through conspiracies, was made to pass in front of and salute the Mansion bearing the name of Vahdettin, who had collaborated with imperialists!..

“THOSE WHO WIELD THE INFIDEL'S SWORD”

Let us start with the massive Gaza rally held in Istanbul on October 28. The pro-government media had announced days in advance that “world leaders were invited to the rally” and that the rally would gain an international dimension. Invitations had been sent to spiritual leaders and heads of state, primarily Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Sisi, as well as those from Libya, Lebanon, and Jordan.

But apart from the State dignitaries and the People's Alliance partners, the only ones who actually came were TRNC President Ersin Tatar, UAE Parliament Speaker Saqr Ghobash, and the Palestinian Ambassador to Ankara, Faed Mustafa!..

What we want to underline is this: were world leaders also invited to the 100th-anniversary celebrations of our Republic, just as they were to the Gaza rally? Because, whether they would have come or not, we heard nothing about it!..

In light of what we will explain shortly, let us include a few striking sentences from Erdoğan's speech at that rally here. He stated that Israel, which he criticized with harsh words, was the “modern version of those who tried to destroy the nation by inciting Armenians in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, and Greeks in the Aegean, Marmara, and Black Sea regions,” and said:

“We are facing the unsettled accounts of those who have been slicing us up politically, geographically, socially, and economically for the last two centuries. We will not allow those who wield the infidel's sword to turn the truth upside down by failing to understand this simple fact out of negligence or by covering it up with deliberate treason.”

NOT EVEN AS MUCH AS SEDAT PEKER

Let us come to the October 29 celebrations. Erdoğan and the State dignitaries attended the ceremony held at Anıtkabir. Afterward, Erdoğan accepted congratulations at the Palace. In the evening, a parade of the Navy took place in front of the Vahdettin Mansion. Fireworks were set off. It was reported that Erdoğan watched the ceremonies along with Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and the TSK command echelon.

So, was a Republic Day reception held? If we look at how the pro-government media presented the acceptance of congratulations at the Palace as a “reception”; yes, it was held, and thus the lie spread by the opposition media that “the reception would be canceled due to the events in Palestine” was revealed to be baseless.

It would have been better if the “acceptance of congratulations” hadn't been held at all!..

So what was the message Erdoğan gave in his “100th-year address” at the Vahdettin Mansion? Beyond the usual government praise like “from the performance” segments in every Cabinet and AKP Group Meeting or television program, he spoke of “providing our country with a civil, libertarian, and inclusive constitution worthy of the 100th year of our Republic.”

“Excuse me, does the current constitution not include everyone? Are there some who are kept separate, and if so, who are they? Do we not know who this rhetoric belongs to and what is intended by it?” we say, and suffice it to remind you of Article 10 of the Constitution, which states: “Everyone is equal before the law without distinction as to language, race, color, sex, political opinion, philosophical belief, religion, sect, or any such grounds.”

From the Vahdettin Mansion, the world was told, “No imperialist power will be able to stand in the way of the Republic of Turkey being happy, successful, and victorious.” It was said, but I wish at least these words had been reflected on the giant screen in New York's Times Square. Just like Sedat Peker broadcast his October 29 message there!..

In short; even though Erdoğan said two days later, “I believe that the 100th-year events will constitute a reference for national holiday celebrations. We have shown those who confine the Republic to halls and balls, those who turn it into an instrument of their own ideology instead of making it the nation's own, those who have spent years in this country opposing the Republic in the name of the Republic, and in short, those who see the Republic as their own deeded property, how this historic anniversary should be comprehended,” well, this is how the 100th year of our Republic was celebrated.

WHILE NOT ONLY THE CONSTITUTION BUT ALSO LAUSANNE IS BEING VIOLATED

But there was another celebration we didn't know about. Before we convey this, there are things we need to explain briefly for those who do not know the subject.

We are talking about the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which Atatürk described as a “nest of sedition and treason” and said, “Its true place is Greece,” and which has been operating against us not only during the War of Independence but since the Morea revolt. After long negotiations in Lausanne, it was allowed to remain in our country as a Turkish institution affiliated with the Fatih District Governorship, on the condition that it would not interfere in politics and would only deal with the religious affairs of our Greek citizens in Istanbul, Bozcaada, and Gökçeada.

However, after the 1990s, with the support of the USA and the EU, the Patriarchate began to operate like a Greek institution in line with the “Megali Idea.” During the AKP era, these activities accelerated and became almost globalized. Archdioceses were opened in places where there is not a single Christian. Patriarch Bartholomew began to be treated like a head of state for the 300 million Orthodox in the world, to use the title of “Ecumenical” first, and then “Archbishop of New Rome-Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch,” and to hold receptions with these titles and make “official” visits to various countries of the world. Organizations and Archbishops affiliated with the Patriarchate even went so far as to call our soldiers in Cyprus “occupiers” and to commemorate the “Pontic, Armenian, and Assyrian” genocide slanders.

As for the AKP government, not only did it not care, but it continued to host Patriarch Bartholomew at the Palace. And for the last 2 years, it has been doing so by using his “ecumenical” title!..

Let us not drag this out and leave the floor to what two pro-government writers have written in the last 10 days.

The first one, while arguing that “the Constitutional Court does not actually recognize the Constitution” with the Can Atalay ruling, pointed to the “unlawful” decision given by the Constitutional Court regarding the transfer of the Sansaryan Han to the Istanbul Special Provincial Administration in the 1930s, noting that this was interpreted as the recognition of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, and emphasized the following:

“Do you not think that these and similar decisions encourage the Greek Patriarchate, which claims 'Ecumenicity'? The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is accepted as a religious institution affiliated with the Fatih District Governorship in the minutes of the Lausanne Treaty and judicial decisions. But the Patriarchate sees itself as the leader of all Orthodox in the world. And the claim is that it is collecting title deeds in Istanbul through Church foundations! It should no longer be a surprise to anyone if the Greek Patriarchate, following the path taken by the Armenian Patriarchate, appears tomorrow saying, 'I also have a legal personality!'”

The second one wrote these lines just yesterday:

“It is negligence to believe that we live in a world where religious struggles have ended. The great role that Orthodoxy plays in the Cyprus cause is evident. Turning Hagia Sophia into a museum did not eliminate Christianity's ambitions over Istanbul. On the contrary, it has increased its courage, provoked it, and emboldened it. The attempts that Athenagoras made recently to protect the Patriarchate with his own guards were also one of the steps of the same audacious plan.”

Returning to October 29;

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople came to Ankara that morning. With him was “Benjamin, Archbishop of Traleon.” What they call “Traleon” is our ancient region north of Aydın. Lausanne has been violated, why an Archbishop was appointed here and what he does; who cares?!

Anyway; Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Benjamin presented their congratulations to Erdoğan at the Palace.

Then, “the Patriarch, representatives of other faiths and religions, ministers, and officials” went with Erdoğan on the Presidential plane to what is “Constantinople” according to Orthodox media, and to the “City” (the Patriarchate uses this special name to avoid openly calling Istanbul Constantinople) according to the Patriarchate's website, and attended the celebrations at the Vahdettin Mansion.

What happened after that program? Erdoğan had dinner at the Vahdettin Mansion in the evening with a “small” and “intimate” group, including Patriarch Bartholomew, can you believe it?!

All of this is the picture of Lausanne being violated even on the 100th anniversary of our Republic, nothing else!..