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ANKARA: Oktay Eksi: Last Word On The Heybeliada Seminary From Gul?

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  • ANKARA: Oktay Eksi: Last Word On The Heybeliada Seminary From Gul?

    OKTAY EKSI: LAST WORD ON THE HEYBELIADA SEMINARY FROM GUL?

    Hurriyet, Turkey
    May 2 2006

    There seems to be something different about Foreign Minister Abdullah
    Gul these days. He appears to be backing away from his former "well,
    if that's how it is, that's ok, oh, and that's alright too" diplomatic
    style. It was precisely this style which used to give the impression
    that he was indecisive.

    But just yesterday, we read in the news what he said to French Foreign
    Minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy about the claims of Armenian genocide,
    and the French plans to prosecute those denying them: "Let's say either
    I or the President of Turkey came to France. And let's say that,
    while there, reporters asked one of us about the Armenian claims,
    and we denied them. What would you do? Throw us in jail?" Douste-Blazy
    did not respond.

    And in the same way, at the same Sofia, Bulgaria unofficial meeting of
    NATO ministers, Gul went outside his usual relaxed style of diplomacy
    in responding to Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni's pressing on
    the question of whether Ankara would allow the Heybeliada Seminary to
    open. As you know, the Halki Seminary on Heybeliada Island has been
    closed since 1971. This decision was made neither by the Turkish
    government nor by YOK (the Turkish Board of Higher Education) but
    instead by the Orthodox Fener Patriarchate itself. It derived from the
    emergence at that time of a law requiring all private institutions of
    higher learning to be connected to universities in Turkey. Following
    the emergence of this law, the Ministry of Education informed the Fener
    Patriarchate that the Halki Seminary too would have to link itself
    to a university in Turkey. It was after this that the Patriarchate
    decided instead to close down the seminary.

    According to reports, Gul told Greek FM Bakoyannis in Sofia that
    "the offering of a religious education at the seminary is anathema
    to our Turkish Constitution," and then went on to stress that
    religiously based education in Turkey was only authorized under
    certain guidlines. Following this, he reportedly repeated the Turkish
    government's suggestion that the Halki Seminary open up in a capacity
    linked to Istanbul University.

    If these words by Gul put the final note on the question over whether
    or not the Heybeliada Seminary will re-open, we will all breath a
    sigh of relief. That being said, the pressure to re-open the seminary
    is not only coming from the US or EU countries. As you might know,
    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is very soft on this matter,
    and has even made statements to Patriarch Bartholomeus which could
    be interpreted as promises. Even Education Minister Huseyin Celik
    has said things like "If it were up to me, I would open that school
    in 24 hours." In any case, it looks like prudence in Turkey does,
    from time to time, do its duty.
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