What is Fidan’s 'Dear Friend' looking for in 'Constantinople'?!

Returning from his visit to Italy on Tuesday, Erdoğan, after boasting about the magnificent Parliament and Presidential buildings they had constructed in the TRNC, said, "We will continue to increase our efforts for the recognition of the TRNC. As Turkey, we will not leave the TRNC alone and helpless. Defending the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots on every platform is our historical and humanitarian responsibility as the Republic of Turkey," and noted that he believes "the Turkish world will continue to stand by its brothers."

We will address the defeat of the recognition of the Greek Cypriot side and the opening of embassies by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan from the Turkish world later. For today, let us explain how much the "rights and interests" of the TRNC and, by extension, Turkey, are being protected.

Easter and April 24 Delusions

April 20 was the Christian Easter holiday.

In his Easter circular, Archbishop Georgios of the Greek Orthodox Church addressed Greece, Southern Cyprus, and all of Hellenism, calling for a "joint struggle to expel the Turks and save the homeland."

President of the Greek Cypriot Administration Nikos Christodoulides was no less vocal; stating that they are fighting to reunite Cyprus, he said, "From Paphos to Apostolos Andreas, from Famagusta to Kyrenia, our people deserve days of resurrection from beginning to end."

While we exclude the reaction of TRNC President Ersin Tatar, there was no sound from Ankara, including our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, a writer from the pro-government media who went to the TRNC but drew the ire of the opposition there stated that "it is a cautionary tale that they did not show even one-thousandth of this reaction to Archbishop Georgios."

Another writer, busy pinning all the blame in Turkish-Greek relations solely on Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, explained how the Greek Orthodox Church is fascist and hostile, then stated that Archbishop Georgios' entry into Turkey must absolutely be banned, and noted the following:

"The Greek Orthodox Church will not change, but it is time for the Patriarchate in Istanbul to take a stance against this hostile attitude."

Since this is the crux of the matter, we will get to it in a moment.

A response to these delusions in the Greek Cypriot side came only four days later from Ministry of National Defense sources. Stating that this "discriminatory, fanatical, and provocative mentality has been the cause of the lack of a solution in Cyprus to this day," the sources called on the Greek Cypriot administration to "act with common sense."

Meanwhile, the same sources announced that the new round of Confidence-Building Measures meetings between the Turkish and Greek delegations would be held in Thessaloniki on April 28, and that a delegation from the Land Forces Command would visit the Greek Land Forces Command on April 28-29.

The date these statements were made was April 24, the day the so-called Armenian genocide slander is leveled.

And it was not just Greek Cypriot President Christodoulides and Greek Defense Minister Dendias; Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas, Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis, and Prime Minister Mitsotakis also issued "genocide" messages, saying, "Today the Armenians, tomorrow the people of Asia Minor, Pontus, and Cyprus."

This time our Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a voice; but only with the phrase "some countries," stating that "the statements regarding the 1915 events are completely rejected."

Our Ministry of National Defense, on the other hand, did not even consider cancellation and carried out the meeting and visit programs in Greece.

Is the Problem with the Priest or Us?

Let us return to Archbishop Georgios of the Greek Orthodox Church and its extension in Turkey, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

In his vestment ceremony in January 2023, Archbishop Georgios not only described the Turkish soldier as an "occupying force," but also recalled the genocidal Makarios and demanded the implementation of the Greek-Greek Cypriot defense doctrine and the arming of the Greek Cypriots.

Ankara did not pay attention then either. Moreover, Bartholomew, the head of the Fener Greek Patriarchate, which is a Turkish institution according to Lausanne, sent a congratulatory message to Georgios, spoke with him by phone, and they agreed on "strengthening cooperation between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Cyprus."

Anything else?

A few months later, Bartholomew invited Archbishop Georgios to Istanbul and hosted him accompanied by "Constantinople" and "Ecumenical Patriarchate" delusions!..

No one asked, "What is this anti-Turkish archbishop of the Greek Cypriot side, which we do not recognize, doing in Istanbul?" As if that were not enough, CNN Türk, which interviewed him, boasted, "He gave his first interview to us."

Anything else?

Three months after that visit, a cooperation agreement was signed between the closed Halki Seminary and the school affiliated with the Greek Church... The Metropolitan of Larnaca, affiliated with the Greek Church, visited the Seminary with a group of clergymen.

Georgios, who uses the title "the new Justinian and Archbishop of all Cyprus," came to the Fener Greek Patriarchate again in July 2024 and toured "Constantinople"!..

After returning to the Greek Cypriot side, Georgios hosted Greek Defense Minister Dendias. Beside him, Dendias said, "Cyprus is definitely close to us. For Hellenism, for the Greek armed forces, Cyprus is nearby."

Coming to the present day; among those who attended the service held at the Fener Greek Patriarchate on the day Archbishop Georgios published his Easter circular were also "Cypriot Greek Archons"!..

Two Representatives at the Pope's Funeral

Of course, what we really need to focus on is that the Greek Church operates under the Fener Greek Patriarchate within us, which claims to be "Ecumenical" contrary to Lausanne.

As is known; last week, there was the funeral ceremony of Pope Francis, who went down in history as the first Pope to compare Turks to Nazis and accuse Armenians of committing genocide, and who also addressed Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew as "Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch." Patriarch Bartholomew was also present at the ceremony, which was attended by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş representing Turkey, and he was hosted in the front rows. Who do you think he met with there? Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and "Cypriot President" Christodoulides!..

A Three-Day "Private Visit"

Two important things happened on Wednesday.

First; as is known, the Fener Greek Patriarchate is affiliated with the Fatih District Governorship, that is, the Ministry of Interior.

But for some reason, and by what authority, Bartholomew was hosted by Ambassador Ayşe Sözen Usluer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Istanbul Representative. Thank God, our Ambassador did not call Bartholomew "Ecumenical" in her post about the visit.

Second; it was announced that Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Deputy Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou would come to Istanbul for a three-day private visit, meet with Patriarch Bartholomew, meet with the leaders of the Greek minority, and visit the Seminary. Even the Greek media commented, "The duration of the Istanbul visit is very long. Will Gerapetritis meet with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and have a coffee?"

And they came.

Perhaps you remember; in March 2023, then-Foreign Minister and current Defense Minister Dendias, while coming to Istanbul to attend a service at the Fener Greek Patriarchate, made a post saying "I will travel to Constantinople" and used the term "Ecumenical" for the Patriarch.

While there was no sound from our "domestic and national" administrators, even the pro-government media described this as "arrogance, crisis." In the end, Dendias said "Istanbul" in his second post, but he did not remove his post with "Constantinople."

Returning to the Istanbul visit of the current Foreign Minister Gerapetritis, whom Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addresses as "my dear friend" and who is described to our nation as "peaceful"; he was at the Fener Greek Patriarchate on Wednesday. While he put "Constantinople" at the very beginning of his post regarding this, he stated that he was received by the "Ecumenical Patriarch."

In the statement he made after the meeting, he also used expressions such as "the true symbol of Orthodoxy in Constantinople" and "Constantinople Greek community."

In his "long and very useful private meeting" with "Ecumenical Patriarch" Bartholomew, he stated that they also discussed issues related to the Halki Seminary, saying, "Our hope is that it will be reopened in the future," and noted that "they will always be supporters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate."

Since our state is very large and powerful, it does not care about these "details" and is busy "eliminating" its internal rivals, it is clear where things have reached and where they will reach on the Greek-Greek Cypriot front!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

May 2, 2025