Turkey to allow Halki to Reopen, Obama says

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5Loaves

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Glory to God for all things!
Turkey has decided to reopen a former Greek Orthodox seminary on an island off the Istanbul coast, according to a statement made by US President Barack Obama.
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We’ll see if this comes to pass, God willing.

I do remember that Obama spoke up for this when he met with the the Ecumenical Patriarch at the White House in 2009.
 
I have to wonder why Obama is making this announcement.

That said I wouldn’t put much into the announcement even if it was made by the Turks. I’ll wait until it actually happens.
 
A columnist for a Turkish newspaper wrote that a snag may have already appeared.
However, as soon as we heard this “hopeful” statement, we also heard another “but” immediately after Erdoğan’s promise to Obama. And this time the “but” came from our chief negotiator, Egemen Bağış, to the EU. He said:
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“The matter between Turkey and the US is subject to our internal legislation. I don’t see the opening of seminary schools as a threat to Turkey. It will enrich Turkey. On this topic I believe that it will always be useful for supporters to synchronize their steps at the right time … But while taking these steps, even if they are tied to reciprocal needs, we have emphasized that Greece’s good-intentioned attempts to synchronize are very important. In this environment the Greek Prime Minister’s oft-made promises to oust the honorable prime minister, and the fact that both the honorable [Georgios] Papandreu and the honorable [Constantine] Karamanlis have not taken the necessary steps, should be understood as the reason that negotiations are stuck. Turkey took very important steps related to this matter. I think it is time for Greece, which EU standards require to be democratic, to take responsibility for its behavior.”
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They will open the Halki School if Greece opens a mosque in Athens. Bağış and some others believe that they could open the school so long as Greece confirms there will be reciprocity.
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sundayszaman.com/sunday/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=275601
 
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