Arinc: "We will overcome legal barriers to reopening the Heybeliada Greek seminary"

The government is working to overcome legal obstacles to reopening the Halki (Heybeliada) seminary, closed since 1971, said Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc yesterday. "There are some legal obstacles," said Arinc, paying a New Year's visit to the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and Patriarch Bartholomew. "We will overcome them. This is not something we can grant. We need to do what the law requires us to do." Patriarch Bartholomew said Arinc's visit had bolstered his hopes, explaining, "We expect our school to reopen. This year is the 40th anniversary of our school's closure. We hope the government will put its good will into practice." The patriarch added that under the initiative of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, clergymen who live in other countries but who serve the patriarchate have been given Turkish citizenship. "This is a very important step for the functioning of our patriarchate," he said. "We expect Turkey to continue to be successful in the new year and to become a member of the EU soon." Arinc is the highest-ranking government official to visit the patriarchate since the 1952 visit of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes. Reopening the seminary has been linked by the EU to improving democracy and human rights in Turkey.