Expert: Poroshenko’s agreement with Phanar is null in terms of the law

Poroshenko at a meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Atlantic Council

The document, which was signed on November 3, 2018 by the former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the head of the Church of Constantinople, Patriarch Bartholomew, is insignificant in terms of legislation. This was announced on the air of First Cossack by Ruslan Bortnik, a Director of the Ukrainian Institute for Analysis and Policy Management.

Commenting on the recent meeting at Phanar of the new President Vladimir Zelensky with Patriarch Bartholomew, where Zelensky refused to sign the agreement proposed by the Patriarch, the expert recalled the agreement having been signed by the head of Constantinople with the previous head of the state, Petro Poroshenko:

“At one time, Poroshenko signed an agreement with Bartholomew, completely classified. And it is good that this agreement does not have any legal basis, it was not ratified by the Parliament, and now that Poroshenko is gone – so is the agreement. All the obligations given (by Poroshenko – Ed.) concerning Stavropegia or anything else whatsoever are worthless from the point of view of law. They are not approved in the form of an international treaty, or any other. Private person Poroshenko with a private person, citizen of Turkey Bartholomew concluded an agreement between themselves. That’s it."

We will remind, earlier the media got to know the list of temples and monasteries which Ukraine, as a result of the agreement between Poroshenko and Phanar, undertook to transfer to Constantinople. Most of them belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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