Turkish President R. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today ordered the resumption of talks regarding the reopening of the Theological School of Halki.
It should be noted that the issue was raised by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is expected to visit Ankara next month on the occasion of the NATO summit.
Trump raised the issue during his talks with Erdogan last year in Washington.
Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, a close associate of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, stated that the issue has entered a “new phase” as the Turkish president instructed the Turkish Council of Higher Education to continue talks with the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s committee.
Although there is still no timeline for the reopening of the Halki Theological School, Metropolitan Emmanuel stated: “For the Patriarchate, after decades of inactivity, things are finally moving forward,” signaling the start of the institutional process.
Metropolitan Emmanuel added that the two sides must complete the renovation work on the complex and agree on the legal and educational framework under which the Halki Theological School.
