The Phanar has become the target of former Turkish Defense Ministry Secretary General Ümit Yalım, a figure who has been writing for years about the alleged occupation of 152 islands, islets and rocky islets in the Aegean Sea by Greece.
Who is Ümit Yalım
Yalım reached the rank of Colonel, then served as Secretary General of Turkey’s Ministry of Defense (2009-2010) while continuing as a military analyst in Turkish media. He is considered a “Kemalist” and has previously attacked Greece with extreme positions while simultaneously accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “appeasement” towards our country.
Lawsuit against the Ecumenical Patriarch and clergy
This time he filed a lawsuit against the Ecumenical Patriarch and clergy of the Ecumenical throne, demanding among other things that the Halki Theological School should not operate. The former Turkish official characterizes the potential reopening of the School as “illegal educational activity” that violates international agreements.
The issue of the Theological School’s reopening
Let us recall that the issue of reopening the Halki Theological School has been put on the discussion table once again, without however any development. Although according to what had emerged from statements by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barak, it was predicted that Halki School would open its doors to students again in September, the Turkish government has not yet given the green light, as everyone expected.
The historic School building remains unprepared
In fact, ecclesiastical sources from the Phanar told parapolitika.gr that the historic building of the School on Halki island still stands incomplete and unprepared for the possibility of receiving students in September.
And as if this wasn’t enough, Ümit Yalım accuses the Ecumenical Patriarch of contributing through his actions to the “illegal occupation,” as he claims, of Aegean islands by Greece.
Patriarchate involvement in sovereignty issues
Although this is an extreme move, it nevertheless constitutes a strong indication that the climate of Greek-Turkish relations has deteriorated. Furthermore, this move is not limited to a narrow legal framework, as it touches on issues of international treaties, sovereign rights in the Aegean and the religious presence of the Patriarchate in Turkey.
According to what has come to light, at the center of the lawsuit are Ümit Yalım’s accusations that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is involved in “illegal activities” related to Greece’s presence on specific islands in the Eastern Aegean. He even targets personally Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as well as dozens of Phanar clergy, claiming they are connected to assertions on sovereignty issues of Aegean islands such as Agathonisi, Marathi, Arkioi and Farmakonisi, which the plaintiff claims “belong” administratively to the Turkish province of Aydın.
To support his claims, he gives his own interpretation of the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, as many Turkish media have done to date.
Despite the fact that this case has received publicity, there is no official reaction from the Turkish state. The involvement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate by a former Turkish official in territorial sovereignty issues causes concern about the dimensions such an attack might have, as the case concerns not only Greek sovereignty but also the role of an institution with global spiritual influence in the Orthodox world.
The key question is whether this case will remain an isolated legal initiative or whether it will develop into a new attack against the Phanar.
