The head of Turkey's government acknowledged that the country has not stepped up to the plate in dealing with minority issues. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month offered a rare critical assessment of how the country has dealt with minorities during its recent history. "For years, those of different ethnic identity have been chased out of the country … In fact that was an outcome of a fascist approach," he said. The Jewish community in Turkey immediately acknowledged Erdogan's words. "[The] prime minister told the truth," community Chairman Silvyo Ovadya told the daily Milliyet. Before and after World War I -- when the Ottoman Empire transitioned into a modern nation-state -- nearly two million Greeks, 1.5 million Armenians and 500,000 Jews lived in Turkey. The ensuing turbulence saw massacres and forced deportations, and a 1923 population exchange among Balkan countries thinned the number of minorities further. Nearly half a million Turks and half a million Greeks moved to Turkey and Greece respectively. While the three non-Muslim Turkish minorities -- Jews, Armenians and Greeks -- enjoy equal rights under the Turkish Constitution, they have faced periodic discrimination. Today, an estimated 60,000 Armenians, 25,000 Jews, and 3,000 to 4,000 Greeks live in Turkey. The EU's 2008 Progress Report criticised the country for failing to provide solutions to persistent minority-related issues. "Non-Muslim communities still face problems due to lack of legal personality," said the report. The Union also criticised Turkey's continued restrictions on the training and treatment of non-Muslim clergy. "Turkish legislation does not provide private higher religious education for these communities and there are no such opportunities in the public educational system. The Halki Greek Orthodox seminary remains closed," it said.
Serbian prosecutors have indicted 17 former ethnic Albanian guerrilla fighters for war crimes allegedly committed against civilians in Kosovo immediately after the 1998-99 war in the breakaway province. Friday's indictment charges the former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army with killing at least 52 Serbs, Roma and Albanian civilians. The men, eight of whom are still at large, were also charged with raping a large number of women as well as illegal detention, mutilation, torture and looting. The war crimes took place in three locations near the eastern town of Gnjilane with the aim of forcing Serbs who remained after the war out of Kosovo, where 90 percent of the population of two million is ethnic Albanian. NATO sent peacekeepers to Kosovo in 1999 under a United Nations mandate, after a 78-day alliance bombing campaign forced Serbian and Yugoslav security forces from the area. The attacks against Serb civilians took place after that deployment, between June and September of 1999. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. Serbia, backed by its traditional ally Russia, has refused to recognize the declaration and insists that it still maintains sovereignty over Kosovo.
Serbian Minister of Telecommunications Jasna Matic and Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Milthiades Varvitsiotis have signed in Belgrade the agreement on the realization of the first phase in the project of scientific research and educational computer network of the southeastern Europe, which will connect the scientific and educational institutions in Serbia with the European academic network. The agreement is worth 6.1 million euros, and the protocol was attended by Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and Greek President Karolos Papoulias. Matic said that at issue is the first agreement within the Greek Government’s Hellenic Plan for the Balkans, where Greece will provide 4.9 million euros, and Serbia 1.2 million. The first part of the document relates to the monitoring and management of the project, while the second agreement deals with the renting of the optical infrastructure for the connection with the Greek academic network, via Macedonia, and with the EU, via Hungary. The third part refers to the acquisition of the network equipment. Six countries are involved with this project – Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bulgaria, stated Matic.
The plenary of the UN General Assembly adopted on June 30 the budgets of 14 peacekeeping forces, including the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The General Assembly adopted the report of the Fifth Committee, approving the sum of $56.80 mln for the period beginning on July 1, 2009, and ending on June 30, 2010, which is necessary to cover the functional and operational costs of UNFICYP. The decision on UNFICYP also refers to resolution 186(1964), which established the peacekeeping force in Cyprus, as well as the resolutions renewing the mandate, the last of which is resolution 1873(2009) of May 29, 2009. Furthermore, it expresses appreciation to the governments of Cyprus and Greece for their voluntary contributions of $18.07 mln and $6.5 mln respectively.
A Turkish game show is challenging atheists to reassess their views and win "the biggest prize ever". Penitents Compete will bring together an Islamic imam, a Jewish rabbi, a Buddhist monk and a Greek Orthodox priest seeking to convert the atheists. The prize for any converted contestants is an expenses-paid pilgrimage to a holy site of their chosen faith. But the producers say the show will also help contestants "find serenity" and raise awareness of the faiths. Each episode of Penitents Compete will pitch 10 atheists - carefully vetted by a team of theologians to ensure their non-belief - against the four faith leaders. The imam, rabbi, monk and priest will then seek to persuade the atheists of the merits and truth of their faith. Adverts for the show promise: "We give you the biggest prize ever; we represent the belief in God. Believe, repent, God will forgive you." The show's producers say they know there is a good chance that none of the atheists will be converted. But if any are genuinely convinced by a faith, they will be sent on a pilgrimage - new Muslims to Mecca, Buddhists to Tibet and Jews and Christians to Jerusalem. The TV cameras will follow the winning contestants as they go on their pilgrimage.
USA Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle believes religious factor remains one of the most important for rapprochement between the two countries. “Certainly, positive relations between our leaders and government are very important, but it’s not enough. We need to make a good base of contacts between our nations,” the Ambassador said at a meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russian on Friday. According to the Ambassador, the Russian Orthodox Church “can help us build this better base for our relations, and this is important not only for our nations, but for the whole humanity.” Beyrle agreed with the Patriarch “Americans and Russians have much in common, both countries are multiconfessional and deeply believing.” The USA Ambassador cited the data saying that 91 per cent of the Americans believe in God or some sort of supreme power, over half of them pray every day, thus spiritual tradition “may bring us closer to each other.”
Archbishop Demetrios of America announces the visit of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States in October for a three-stage visit that will include an environmental symposium on the Mississippi River and visits to New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. The Ecumenical Patriarch will arrive in Memphis, Tenn., Oct. 17 and between Oct. 18 and 25 will lead the 8th Environmental Symposium "The Great Mississippi River: Restoring Balance." His All Holiness is the patron of this series of environmental symposia on various water bodies around the world, and he is internationally known for his efforts for environmental awareness and the title "Green Patriarch." "This trip of His All Holiness to America will be a unique opportunity for all the American people to hear the Ecumenical Patriarch's message of reconciliation among all religions and people of the world, a message of respect for human rights and religious freedom for all, and a message of respect and reverence for God's creation, our natural environment. Finally, for the Orthodox Christians in America this trip will truly be a blessing," said Archbishop Demetrios. The Environmental Symposia are organized by "Religion, Science and the Environment," a movement conceived in 1988 on the Aegean Isle of Patmos, at a meeting of environmental and religious leaders, out of concern for the water environment of the planet. On the second leg of his trip, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will come to New York on Oct. 25. His All Holiness' program in New York will include two Patriarchal Divine Liturgies, meetings with the clergy, ecumenical leaders, members of the Archdiocesan Council and the Archons and the bestowing of an honorary doctorate degree from Fordham University. The Ecumenical Patriarch will make a short visit to Atlanta Oct. 29 and will be back in New York Oct. 30. Finally, the following week, Nov. 2 to 5 the Ecumenical Patriarch will visit Washington, D.C. Details of the schedule of His All Holiness' visit will be forthcoming as they become available. His All Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch is the 270th successor to the Apostle Andrew and spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.