The fate of the Theological School on the island of Halki remains in the hands of the Turkish president

The issue of reopening the Theological School on the island of Halki has been referred to Turkey’s highest level of government leadership. Turkish Minister of Education Yusuf Tekin stated that the final decision on the school’s future will be made directly by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This was reported by the Orthodoxia News Agency ( ).

Education Minister Yusuf Tekin explained that his ministry has already completed the necessary technical preparations, but the issue of reopening the school is a complex political matter. According to Tekin, the decision will depend on an assessment of how beneficial this would be for the country’s interests in terms of domestic and foreign policy. Currently, the most likely scenario being considered is the opening of the school as a graduate program, which would allow the Phanar to avoid the complex bureaucratic procedures associated with full university status.

This issue is central to the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s agenda; its representatives have been engaged in institutional dialogue with the Turkish Ministry of Education for several months. Earlier, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew personally discussed this matter with the Turkish president in Ankara.

The significance of this moment is underscored by Erdogan’s visit to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly. The issue of resuming the school’s operations has been raised repeatedly at the international level; in particular, it was discussed during the Turkish president’s meetings with U.S. officials. Turkish authorities have repeatedly emphasized their willingness to consider steps toward reopening the school, based on the country’s strategic interests.

As a reminder, earlier, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Archbishop George of Cyprus , called for a struggle against the Turkish occupation.