ANKARA, Nov. 15 -- Turkey's Vatan party called for the government to respond to Volodymyr Zelensky's use of the title "Ecumenical" for Patriarch Bartholomew, arguing in a statement dated November 14 that the Ukrainian leader's wording challenged Turkish sovereignty and the Istanbul-based Patriarchate's status.

The party's accusation concerns language it said Zelensky used following his October 31 visit to Turkey and meeting with Bartholomew in Istanbul. The dispute touches on Turkey-Ukraine relations. Vatan, also known as the Homeland party, linked its objection to its interpretation of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and demanded scrutiny of the patriarch's activities.

The statement represents a political party's position, not an announced...