Istanbul mayor has ‘good intentions,’ patriarch says

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios and Ekrem Imamoglu, the newly elected mayor of Istanbul, met in the Turkish city Thursday, with the former describing the moderate new leader as “a person of good intentions.”

Imamoglu, for his part, underlined the importance of the Patriarchate’s presence in Istanbul, noting that it made the city “a religious center on a global scale.” He also vowed that the municipality, under his watch, “will respect all religions and show equal treatment to all faiths.”

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate won a decisive victory on June 23, his second in three months after authorities annulled an earlier vote.

The patriarch also expressed his hope that Imamoglu would be guided “by the principles of honest dialogue with all elements of society and with respect for human and minority rights.”