Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Thursday visited the Istanbul town hall, where he was received and congratulated the Bosporus metropolis' newly elected mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.
In his comments, the "primus inter pares" of the world Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, echoed his statement immediately following Imamoglu's (second) election victory on June 23, calling for a "sincere dialogue" with all facets of the city's society and respect for human and minority rights.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate has been located in the iconic city since it emerged as Constantinople, the seat of the eastern Roman Empire in the 4th century AD.
