His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel welcomed the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Romania, His Excellency Mr Özgür Kıvanç Altan, at the patriarchal residence in Bucharest on September 22, 2023.
During the meeting, the Ambassador thanked for the warm welcome and expressed his joy to represent Turkey in a friendly country with a long history.
In this sense, he recalled that 2023 marks the 145th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two states.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel praised the Ambassador’s rich diplomatic activity and wished him much success in the new diplomatic mission in Romania.
At the same time, the Patriarch of Romania emphasised the recent presence of numerous Romanian Orthodox pilgrims in places with particular historical resonance in Turkey, such as Istanbul, the former Constantinople, Caesarea of Cappadocia and others.
His Beatitude reminded the cultural ties between the two countries and peoples, noting, in this regard, that the Romanian State declared the year 2023 as Dimitrie Cantemir Cultural Year to celebrate the life and work of the great scholar, historian, and ruler of Moldavia, and to mark 350 years since his birth and 300 years since his death.
In this context, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel recalled that Dimitrie Cantemir wrote the History of the Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire, a work appreciated by the Berlin Academy (August 1, 1714).
The Turkish Ambassador thanked for the unique role that the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Patriarch of Romania have in promoting the excellent coexistence of the Romanian majority population with the Turkish and Tatar Muslim minority in Romania as an exemplary model of their integration into Romanian society.
His Excellency assured that the Turkish state respects the religious freedom of various ethnic and religious communities in Turkey.
At the end of the meeting, the Patriarch of Romania emphasised that mutual respect between people belonging to different religious beliefs is essential in promoting a climate of friendship and cooperation, both at the personal level and the level of society.
Department of External Church Relations
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Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
