We set out from Malazgirt and took a break in 'Constantinople'!

Four days ago, in his speech at the 953rd Anniversary Celebration Program of the Battle of Malazgirt, Erdoğan said, “Malazgirt is the victory of all Muslims, along with the Turks. In Alparslan's army, Kurds, Arabs, and Muslims from other nations honored by Islam fought shoulder to shoulder against the enemy, and their blessed blood mingled on these very lands... Our cause is the cause of carrying the word of Allah to every place where the sun rises and sets.” Let us underline two more sentences from Erdoğan, who was practically both writing a new history and outlining the framework of the new constitution he dreams of.

He emphasized that the most critical step in the process leading to the conquest of Istanbul was taken at Malazgirt...

And he gave the reminder: “Those who do not learn history are forced to live it again.”

When we compare their era of power not to 953 years ago, but to just 100 years ago, our tongues have grown weary of explaining how the ambitions of some to make Istanbul “Constantinople” again are being brought to life repeatedly.

Yes, we are talking about the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has become a major threat not only within our borders but also in our foreign policy, hand in hand with the US and Greece.

Patriarch Bartholomew has been using the “Ecumenical” title for years... He is hosted abroad like a “head of state” and holds receptions at home like a “head of state”... But the AKP, rather than speaking out against this, invites Bartholomew with that very title.

Three days ago, we wrote about the Patriarchate's and the Patriarch's new actions. One of these was the role of the religious front in the ongoing war between the US-NATO-EU and Russia over Ukraine. While Ukrainian President Zelensky was banning churches in his country affiliated with Russia, the first person he called to thank was Patriarch Bartholomew, and he addressed him again with the “Ecumenical” title. Likewise, he met with the Patriarchate delegation that was in Ukraine at the time this decision was made, in their capacity as “representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.”

Until recently, the AKP's partner, the MHP, had serious sensitivities regarding the “ecumenical” issue; however, after recent developments, we have seen that they too have fallen silent, and have even reacted to and distanced a former deputy who brought these issues to the agenda.

Will You Only Understand When It Is Written in Turkish?

Let's get straight to the point.

September 1st is considered the beginning of the new year for Orthodox churches. It is also accepted as a holy day of prayer for the natural environment.

On the occasion of this day, Patriarch Bartholomew published a long message on the Patriarchate's official website.

Let's skip the content of the message and just look at the title he used at the beginning.

He said, “Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch”!..

Moreover, he published this message not only in Greek but also in English.

I suppose they wanted to rub it in our faces, thinking that our people wouldn't understand the Greek!..

Well, if you do not object to the “ecumenical” status, and even accept it, they will naturally move on to this “Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome” stage.

Beware of the Second Conference

You may remember; a Ukraine Peace Summit was held in Switzerland on June 15-16. The hosts, Ukraine and Switzerland, invited Patriarch Bartholomew with the title “Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,” alongside our Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Patriarch Bartholomew signed the declaration published at the end of the summit with the title of both Turkey and the “Ecumenical Patriarchate.”

When the scandal emerged, the government once again swallowed its tongue, while the leader of its partner MHP, Devlet Bahçeli, stated that “it is unacceptable for the Greek Orthodox Patriarch to be invited to the summit under the title of the so-called ‘Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople’ and to be made to sign the final declaration,” and reminded everyone of the Treaty of Lausanne and that “there is no city called Constantinople within the borders of the Republic of Turkey.” He also declared that they would “never surrender to those who play the ecumenical card.”

Following this reaction, diplomats trying to clean up the mess claimed that the name “Ecumenical Patriarchate” had been removed from the declaration. However, this was not true.

It was only removed from the alphabetical list, but a note was added to the end of the same list stating, “The Ecumenical Patriarchate participated in the Summit as an observer and supports the principles stated in the Joint Communiqué.”

Here is what we are getting at; according to information provided by Ukrainian President Zelensky in recent days, a second such summit is planned for November. Negotiations are reportedly underway with four countries, including Turkey, for the summit.

God forbid, let it not be held in Turkey!.. You never know, Zelensky, the US's frontier bey, might take courage from Ankara's silence and invite the Greek Orthodox Patriarch this time with the title “Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch”... Let us not be humiliated on our own soil as well!..