Orthodox Christian Economic Community (An Honorable Retelling)

Orthodox Christian Economic Community
The flag of the OCEC
Formation	8 June 1956 (68 years ago)
Type	Intragovernmental organization
Headquarters	Constantinople, Rhomania
Membership	Alaska Albania Bosnia Bulgaria Buryatia Cossackia Dacia Egypt Ethiopia Gavayi Georgia Karelia Korea Makuria New Athens Rhomania Novanglia Russia Saint Photios Serbia and Montenegro Ukraine United Commonwealths United States
Official languages	Greek, Russian
Affiliations	Eurasian Community, League to Enforce Peace

The Orthodox Christian Economic Community or OCEC (Greek: Ορθόδοξη Χριστιανική Οικονομική Κοινότητα, Russian: Православное Христианское Экономическое Сообщество) is an intergovernmental organization consisting of 15 member states, 12 of which have an Orthodox Christian majority. Founded in 1956, the organization's mission is to build stronger intercultural and economic ties among Orthodox Christian countries. The organization also claims to represent the "collective interests of Orthodox Christian countries across the world."

The OCEC has permanent delegates to the League to Enforce Peace and the Eurasian Community. The organizations' two recognized languages are Greek and Russian. Within the OCEC's charter, there are various smaller organizations and organs that operate within the community's larger framework.

History

During the 1953-Roman Persian War, the Persian intervention into Rhomanian-held Egypt resulted in damage to many historic Coptic Orthodox churches in the country, including exterior damage to the Hanging Church in Cairo, which was hit by a Persian artillery shell. Leaders from many Orthodox Christian countries, such as Rhomanian Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos, began calling on cooperation between Orthodox Christian countries to preserve a perceived shared cultural and religious heritage. During this time period, the Russian and Rhomanian economies were also experiencing rapid growth. Russian politicians believed that greater economic cooperation between Orthodox Christian countries could allow Russia to assist developing Orthodox countries in growing their economies and, therefore, their ties to Russia. In early 1954, delegates from 10 Orthodox Christian countries met in Plovdiv, Bulgaria to begin discussions on drafting a charter for a cross-Orthodox Christian intergovernmental organization.

The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the most famous Orthodox Christian Heritage Site

On 8 June 1956, the Orthodox Christian Community's charter would be ratified, and the organization would officially come into existence. During its early years, the OCEC was focused on cultural issues, with a heritage trust fund being established to repair and preserve historic Orthodox Churches. Money would be used to help renovate the grounds around the Hagia Sophia church in Constantinople, repair the damages done to the Hanging Church in Cairo, and help rebuild the historic St. Photios Greek Orthodox Church in New Smyrna Beach after it was flooded by Hurricane Diana in 1960.

By the early 1960s, OCEC began to focus more on economic issues. The Orthodox Christian Development Bank would be founded in 1961 and act as the chief financial organization of the community. During this period, Rhomania and Russia began financing development projects in developing Orthodox Christian countries. Alaska, suffering from a lack of rural infrastructure, was awarded 5 billion dollars in development funds in 1972. These funds are believed to have financed 5% of the Alaskan Interstate Highway system and 10% of the Alaska Railroad's track electrification efforts. The development bank also helped modernize Saint Photios' floodwall systems due to the frequent hurricanes that the region sustained.

Afrocolumbian President Martin Luther King Jr. walks with Archbishop Iakovos and an OCEC delegation during his state visit to Saint Photios (1966)

Throughout the Cold War, Persia would remain in a dispute with the OCEC. The Secretary-General of OCEC accused Persia of repressing Orthodox Christians as part of its state atheism doctrine. Under the leadership of Persian leader Youssef Litonis, Orthodox churches in Persian Georgia were actively suppressed as well as the Assyrian Orthodox Church in the Persian province of Syria. OCEC coordinated sanctions on Persia throughout the latter half of the 20th century, with the sanctions being lifted following the end of the socialist government in Persia in 1992. However, Persia would end up on OCEC's sanction list again following its invasion of Georgia in 2002.

In the 21st century, the OCEC has largely integrated into the economic models and infrastructure of the European Community. As a result, it is not the same large economic actor that it was in the 20th century. However, the community remains an important diplomatic channel for Orthodox Christian countries to coordinate foreign policy and votes at the League to Enforce Peace's General Assembly and Parliamentary Assembly.

Structure and policies

Principal organs

The Orthodox Christian Economic Community is divided into four principal organs. These organs handle a wide variety of tasks in the community including political affairs, economic development, cultural education, and cultural heritage preservation.

The Parliament Chamber for the Orthodox Christian Political Assembly (Constantinople, Rhomania)

The Orthodox Christian Political Assembly meets in October through November every 2 years in Constantinople. The organization is largely tasked with coordinating political stances between Orthodox Christian countries in the League to Enforce Peace and other intragovernmental organizations. Each country sends their own delegations and vote on resolutions to be adapted. These resolutions are non-binding, so it is optional on whether countries ultimately adopt them. However, concrete policy has come from the assembly, such as the coordinated sanctions against Socialist Persia in the 1950s onwards.

The Orthodox Christian Development Bank is the intergovernmental financial institution that provides loans and grants to members of the OCEC. Historically, OCEC funds were used to help develop industry and infrastructure in developing Orthodox Christian countries. While Rhomania and Russia were wealthy, countries such as Dacia, Saint Photios, and Alaska suffered heavily during the Fourth Great War. As a result, the development bank was established with the goal of helping damaged Orthodox Christian countries rebuild infrastructure and economies. In the 21st century, the development bank coordinates heavily with the World Bank and other League to Enforce Peace organizations.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Director-General of the Orthodox Christian Education Fund (1978-1986)

The Orthodox Christian Education Fund is an international educational organization whose stated goal is to "build mutual understanding among Orthodox Christian scholars." Founded in 1970, the fund is in charge of financing student exchange programs between OCEC members. It also runs a total of 7 private high schools and 1 private university in 4 OCEC member states. The program is also in charge of the highly competitive Justinian Scholarship which allows for any undergraduate student to pursue a graduate education at the Moscow State University free of charge. Since the 1980s, the Justinian Scholarship is available to applicants all across the world and is not just limited to students in OCEC member states.

The Orthodox Christian Heritage Trust is an intergovernmental trust in charge of maintaining the upkeep of historic Orthodox churches and cathedrals throughout the world. The trust has given donations to repair historic churches in Rhomania, Russia, Bulgaria, Dacia, Georgia, Egypt, the United States, and Saint Photios. The trust has been prevented from operating in countries hostile towards the OCEC. Controversially, the Chinese government prevented the Orthodox Christian Heritage Trust from operating in the country due to accusations of "foreign subversion". This decision was met with condemnation from the OCEC as it prevented them from funding upkeep on the Church of the Intercession in Harbin. Despite its limitations, the Heritage Trust still remains an integral part of OCEC operations.

Positions

On foreign policy, positions between OCEC members tend to be coordinated during League to Enforce Peace votes. Russia, holding a permanent seat on the League to Enforce Peace's Security Council, tends to represent the organization's positions on the council. Most positions held by the OCEC revolve around the preservation of LTEPESCO cultural heritage sites, preserving the right to freedom of religion as inscribed in the League to Enforce Peace Charter, and coordinating sanctions on states which persecute Orthodox Christians or damage Orthodox Christian heritage sites.

OCEC Headquarters building in Constantinople, Rhomania

In recent years, the OCEC has taken stances against Persia and China for perceived targeting of Orthodox Christians within their countries. The OCEC Political Assembly passed a letter of condemnation against Persia due to their restrictions on the autonomy of the Syriac Orthodox Church and stances of aggression taken by Persia against OCEC members, such as Georgia and Rhomania. Actions have been also taken against China for neglecting many of its Orthodox churches and other heritage sites.

Despite coordination on foreign policy, OCEC members tend to vary in their approaches to social and economic policy. As a result, political analysts tend to describe OCEC as a "strictly foreign policy-oriented organization." Domestic policy between members tends to be handled by the Eurasian Community, as most OCEC members are part of the EC.

Criticism

Many of its detractors claim that the OCEC is non-binding in its resolutions and thus cannot meaningfully solve the issues facing the Orthodox Christian world. As a result, some politicians have referred to the organization as a "money hole" or a waste of taxpayer money.

Construction of the Port of Platanos using OCEC funds was met with opposition by some locals within New Athens

The OCEC has also been criticized for promoting Rhomanian and Russian interests over the interests of other members. Due to Russia and Rhomania providing overwhelming funding for the community's principal organs, some have accused the organization of creating economic dependency on Russia and Rhomania for smaller community members. Those who opposed the OCED funding construction of a new cargo port in Platanos, New Athens did so on the grounds that it would weaken New Athens' economic sovereignty.

List of summits

Number	Date	Place	Country
1st	7 June 1956	Constantinople	Rhomania
2nd	12 May 1958	Saint Petersburg	Russia
3rd	3 February 1960	Constantinople	Rhomania
4th	12 October 1962	Plovdiv	Bulgaria
5th	1 June 1964	Curtea de Argeș	Dacia
6th	9 May 1966	New Smyrna Beach	Saint Photios
7th	12 September 1970	Constantinople	Rhomania
8th	8 June 1973	Alexandria	Egypt
9th	10 October 1977	Moscow	Russia
10th	12 December 1982	Adrianople	Rhomania
11th	5 August 1985	Belgrade	Serbia and Montenegro
12th	10 September 1987	Moscow	Russia
13th	19 October 1988	Sofia	Bulgaria
14th	6 June 1991	New Smyrna Beach	Saint Photios
15th	12 October 1994	Platanos	New Athens
16th	8 September 1997	Addis Adaba	Ethiopia
17th	10 October 2000	Moscow	Russia
18th	19 June 2003	Fort Elizabeth	Gavayi
19th	5 March 2007	Saint Hermansburg	United States
20th	18 October 2010	Constantinople	Rhomania
21st	19 November 2014	Petrozavodsk	Karelia
22nd	5 October 2018	Kyiv	Ukraine
23rd	19 November 2019	Constantinople	Rhomania
24th	1 December 2023	Podgorica	Serbia and Montenegro
25th	18 September 2024	Novgrad	Novanglia