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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday hosted Theophilos Giannopoulos, Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, at the presidential office in Istanbul.
The pair discussed Israel’s attacks on Gaza and actions in Jerusalem, a historic city hosting diverse faiths for centuries.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran and the president’s Chief Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç accompanied the president in his talks with a Jerusalem delegation led by Giannopoulos.
The presidency’s Communications Directorate said in a statement that Israel’s aggression in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian situation were addressed at the meeting.
“President Erdoğan stated that Israel’s actions in Jerusalem are aimed at undermining the city’s historical status and sanctity and that this situation, which openly threatens the tradition of coexistence among Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, is unacceptable. President Erdoğan emphasized that Netanyahu, the architect of a genocide, most recently revealed his lack of commitment to peace by attacking Qatar and that Israel continues its assaults without distinguishing between mosques and churches. The President expressed the hope of maintaining close contact to ensure the protection of both Christian and Muslim heritage in the territories under Israeli occupation,” the directorate said.
Türkiye is an advocate of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and views it as the only way to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict permanently. It also engages in diplomatic efforts not only for the protection of civilians from Israeli attacks on Palestinian lands but also on holy sites. The Greek Orthodox patriarch was among the few people allowed into devastated Gaza when he and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited the enclave in July to examine the damage after Israel struck Holy Family Church in an attack that killed three people.
In a statement following the meeting, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem said Giannopoulos “recalled the enduring legacy of the Covenant of Omar, established in the seventh century between Patriarch Sophronios of Jerusalem and Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khattab, which laid the foundation for the protection of Christian holy sites and institutions in the region.”
“He noted that this covenant, later developed under the Ottomans into the Status Quo arrangement, continues to safeguard the mosaic character of Jerusalem and the coexistence of its diverse religious communities,” it added. The patriarch presented a framed copy of the Covenant to the president during their meeting.
Giannopoulos also underlined that the patrimony of the church institutions must be preserved everywhere and thanked Erdoğan for recognizing the importance of this patrimony in Türkiye.
“He underlined that Muslim leaders, as heirs of the Covenant of Omar, share in the safeguarding of Christian communities and holy places, a duty spearheaded by the Hashemites as Custodians of the Christian and Muslim holy sites in the Holy Land,” he added.
Quoting the words of the Apostle Paul, Giannopoulos recalled that “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone,” as he stressed that this spirit of peace must guide the defense of the historic Status Quo, which safeguards Jerusalem’s sacred heritage and preserves the city’s unique mosaic of faiths.
He affirmed that renewed cooperation is essential to ensure that the holy places and the patrimony of the Church remain a living source of unity and hope for all peoples of the region.
Religious leaders, political figures and civil society representatives from around the world gathered last week at Istanbul’s historic Çırağan Palace for an international roundtable to discuss the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the growing threats to sacred sites in the Holy Land.
The European Muslim Forum organized the two-day conference under the slogan “Stop genocide, stop occupation, start true Abrahamic cooperation,” with contributions from the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Türkiye Research Foundation, and the al-Quds (Jerusalem) International Institution.
The opening session was moderated by Abdul-Vakhed Niyazov, president of the European Muslim Forum, who condemned the ongoing genocide in Gaza and accused Israel of threatening Islamic holy sites, including Al-Aqsa Mosque as well as the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, while the Muslim world “remains silent.”
Niyazov called for unity among Muslim nations and stressed Türkiye’s pivotal role in defending Jerusalem and preventing a wider regional catastrophe. He urged “true Abrahamic cooperation” among Muslims, Christians and the Jews, while denouncing the so-called Abraham Accords as a “capitulation.”
