Pompeo skips Ankara, meets with Christian leader in final Turkey visit
In his final visit to Turkey as US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo met with the Orthodox Christian spiritual leader in Istanbul Tuesday, forgoing meetings with state officials in a possible message to conservative American voters.
ISTANBUL — During a brief stop on a seven-nation tour, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians in Istanbul Tuesday, drawing criticism for not meeting with state officials before leaving the country.
Pompeo paid a visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of roughly 300 million Orthodox Christians, who he said in a tweet Tuesday was “a key partner” in efforts “to champion religious freedom around the globe.”
