By Mehmet Ali Birand
TDN- I agree with Hürriyet’s Editor-in-Chief Ertugrul Özkök. In his article on Thursday, he mentioned the Prime Ministry circular that asked public servants not to attend a reception and asked this, “Why are we bothered by the patriarch being addressed as the ecumenical?”
This is something I also fail to understand.
Why?
Moreover, it is not Turkey that confers this title. This title has been around for a while and is recognized by the international community. No matter how much we say the patriarch is a religious official under the authority of the Eyüp local administrator, he is ecumenical.
What’s more, such an internationally recognized title being conferred to a Turkish citizen can only benefit Turkey. It will increase Turkey’s international prestige. Patriarch Barthalomeos has proved himself with his conduct until now. The only thing he did is to support Turkey, and always acted in harmony. His title as ecumenical will not change that.
It is the church in Athens that is anti-Turkish and wants the title conferred to it, in order to replace Barthalomeos.
Can someone please tell me the basis of Ankara’s policy on this matter?
Photo ban in state offices is correct
I read it in the newspapers. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked for the removal of the photos of former department heads, ministers, governors and local administrators that featured on the walls of state offices. He said the photos of great statesmen and historical personages would suffice.
It is a very correct decision
We should not ignore the people who served us. Remembering them, at least with their photos, is an appropriate practice. However, the state’s offices work for centuries. Eventually, the walls become crowded with mismatched photos.
The right thing to do is to exhibit these photos in a special room designated for this purpose. If nothing is done, we will not be able to see the walls through the photos. I believe certain precautions are called for.
Municipalities turn Büyük Menderes into river of death
Indifferent municipalities have turned the Büyük Menderes river that feeds the Aegean plains into a river of death. The latest incident to take place was the Incirliova Municipality caught on camera disposing waste into the river.
Many municipalities and industrial concerns next to the Büyük Menderes river lack any waste-treatment facilities, and dispose of waste by emptying it into the river. In other words, the municipalities that should give life to the river have turned it into a river of death.
Incirliova Mayor Ümit Yahya Orbay, from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said three months ago: “I have been a mayor for only four months. Our infrastructure is not satisfactory. We will work hard to establish a waste-treatment facility.”
Before writing this article, I called Orbay, who told me that they were no longer disposing of such waste into the river, adding that he would send me more information. By the time I was writing this piece, I had not received any further information.