In a post on social media, the Presidency's Director of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, stated that President Erdoğan made history once again yesterday by attending the opening ceremony of the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul and that this event marked the inauguration of the first newly built church in the Turkish Republic’s history.
Underscoring that President Erdoğan has always advocated for religious freedoms for all our citizens regardless of their denomination and worked to ensure that legal and administrative hurdles before renovation and restoration efforts of churches are removed, Director of Communications Altun said:
"In the past two decades, successive AK Party governments have made the necessary legal changes to allow for religious foundations to own immovable properties. They have also ensured the return of previously confiscated properties to their rightful owners. Religious minorities, including Syriac and Greek Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, and Jewish communities, have been able to rebuild and restore their temples."
"We will remain steadfast in our commitment to religious freedoms"
Reiterating that during the holy month of Ramadan, they have made it a tradition to come together with various denominations, Director of Communications Altun noted the following:
"All these efforts have been accomplished according to our deep belief in the religious rights and freedoms of all our citizens. They are also a sign of our commitment to religious tolerance and mutual respect. Our long history of respect for religious rights teaches us to embrace and celebrate the religious and cultural differences of our citizens. This is in stark contrast to the treatment of Muslims living in some of our neighbouring countries as well as many European countries. In an age where fanaticism and hatred against Muslims are on the rise, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to religious freedoms. At the same time, we cannot tolerate provocations against Muslims in the form of desecration of our religious values and symbols. Today, the world needs tolerance and mutual understanding more than ever. Under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Türkiye will always oppose any political effort to pit religions against one another."