Patriarch Bartholomeus: We are a part of Europe

Patriarch Bartholomeus of the Istanbul-based Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate used the occasion of a visit yesterday to the Patriarchate by Romanian President Traian Basescu to assert that Turkey was in fact a part of Europe. Said Patriarch Bartholomeus, "We are a part of Europe. There can be no doubt about that. Following the reforms brought about by Ataturk, our country became a part of the West." President Basescu of Romania, who is in Turkey as an official guest of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, arrived from Ankara in Istanbul yesterday, and was received at the Patriarchate in Fener in the afternoon. Basescu, himself an Orthodox Christian, presented Bartholomeus with an icon after being served coffee and sherbet by the Patriarch. Â