Foreign Ministry spokesman Gregory Delavekouras stated the following in response to journalists’ questions regarding statements from Turkish Deputy Prime Minister B. Arinc on reciprocity for the reopening of the Halki Seminary:
“What we take from Mr. Arinc’s statement is the assurance that the Turkish government is well-disposed to the reopening of the Halki Seminary.
And we’re waiting.
The reopening of the Halki Seminary will be a positive sign of Turkey’s intentions and stated political will.
As for what he said about reciprocity, the tens of thousands of Muslims of Thrace – precisely because they live under the principles of rule of law and equality before the law – can respond. Unlike the few hundred Greeks who remain in Istanbul, of the hundreds of thousands who lived there.
It would be good if these statements stopped. They do anything but contribute to maintaining and strengthening the climate of understanding that exists between our countries.”
May 14, 2013