BRUSSELS, Belgium: The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians urged the European Union on Wednesday to take on Turkey as a member if it improves democratic and human rights standards.
“Europe needs to bring Turkey into its project,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I told the European Parliament.
“What I and the majority of the people of Turkey wish is full integration, full membership of the European Union, on condition that the criteria and preconditions that apply to all candidates are abided by,” he told a later news conference.
Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul, Turkey, is the spiritual leader of hundreds of millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide.
He appealed to the EU not to make religious or cultural differences an obstacle to Turkish membership. Turkey’s population of 70 million is predominantly Muslim.
“But I do not think that should be considered to be a stumbling block,” Bartholomew said. “We must not exclude from the European family somebody who simply has a different belief from us.”
But he said Turkey needs to improve protection for religious minorities as part of wider human rights reforms. Bartholomew called in particular for Turkish authorities to allow the reopening of a Greek Orthodox seminary and return Church property.
Turkey’s efforts to join the EU have long been hampered by disputes over democratic standards, human rights and the divided island of Cyprus.
The EU insists religion is not an obstacle to Turkey joining, but opinion polls indicate many Europeans are wary about letting the country into the 27-nation bloc.
Bartholomew gave his backing to talks between the president of Cyprus and the country’s breakaway Turkish north in order to end the island’s 34-year division.
“We are very optimistic and very hopeful that this time the dialogue between the two communities will have a happy outcome,” he said.
Source: International Herald Tribune, September 24, 2008