"Turkey is a country that belongs to the big European family", Bartholomew I explained to SIR, after his speech at the European Parliament in Brussels. "We are interested in this as citizens as well as a religious minority". Bartholomew claimed full respect of the freedom of cult, the return of the assets taken away by Ankara from the Orthodox Church, the equality of all citizens. "For accession to the European Union, some set criteria and European values must be respected. In Turkey, we can see efforts being made in this direction, to modernise the country", to boost economy, to "fully implement the EU regulations in the national law". So, do you think the process to bring Turkey closer to the EU can help the modernisation of Turkey? "I am sure it can states the ecumenical patriarch to SIR . In addition, I think the fact we are a country with a very large Islamic majority should not be a problem, because the European Union sets itself as a reality that respects cultural and religious diversity". "Europe cannot rule anyone out", adds Bartholomew. (continued)
