I’ve made quite a study of the Turkish treatment of the Greek community in Constantinople. Its a long history of very harsh treatment and sever economic sanctions designed to strip the few remaining Greeks of wealth, property and sustenance in an unending effort to drive them out. Recent census figures indicate only about 2,500 remain in Turkey and fewer than 100 live in the Fener district of Constantinople.
All that being the case I find it extremely remarkable that 1) the Patriarch would leave the city; they’ve always feared denial of the right to return and 2) that the Turkish PM would accompany the Patriarch. Remarkably weird that!
If it's a strategy, they'll be pushing hard on all sorts of little things that they think might convince the EU to let them into the club instead of keeping them at arms length. Besides, the groups that have power within Turkey look at the ME falling apart and into constant chaos where every Mooze Lame country over there may become a whole country like the city of Beirut was at it's worst and they figure they need to be nice to the EU and others in case they need help to avoid that same fate at the hands of idiots like King Barry and his crowd.