AHI Submits Letter to The Washington Post on Halki SeminaryWASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) released a letter to the editor it submitted to The Washington Post in response to a March 5, 2014 Associated Press article titled “Orthodox seminary in Turkey awaiting reopening,” by Ayse Wieting. In his letter, AHI President Nick Larigakis criticizes Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s position that the reopening of the Theological School of Halki depends on reciprocal measures from Greece, stating the prime minister is incorrect. “The Turkish government’s illegal closure of the seminary is not a bilateral issue to be resolved between the two countries; but rather, it is a universal issue of fundamental religious freedom and human rights that Turkey continues to suppress,” Larigakis wrote. To read the Associated Press article, please click here. President Larigakis’ letter to the editor is found below. The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American think-tank and public policy center that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community. ### For additional information, please contact Georgea Polizos at (202) 785-8430 or at pr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our website at https://www.ahiworld.org and follow us on Twitter @TheAHIinDC.
March 5, 2014 Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is incorrect when he states the reopening of the Theological School of Halki depends on reciprocal measures from Greece (“Orthodox seminary in Turkey awaiting reopening,” Mar. 5). The Ecumenical Patriarchate is the world’s oldest Christian Church, serving more than 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. As the article states, the seminary was the training center for Orthodox clergy since 1844. The Turkish government’s illegal closure of the seminary is not a bilateral issue to be resolved between the two countries; but rather, it is a universal issue of fundamental religious freedom and human rights that Turkey continues to suppress. At a March 25, 2012, press conference with Prime Minister Erdogan, President Barack Obama said, “I am pleased to hear of his [Erdogan’s] decision to reopen the Halki Seminary.” Archbishop Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and 300 million Orthodox Christians are still waiting. Sincerely, Nick Larigakis |
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AHI Submits Letter to The Washington Post on Halki Seminary
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