They seem to have forgotten that our domestic political crises are the consequences of this very process, which asks for Turkey's transformation. The government has also had some difficulties explaining to both the Turkish and European public that all this is happening because Turkey is at a turning point of its European bid.However, some other people are perfectly aware of the situation, and they keep pushing the government on new and necessary reforms in order to accelerate the negotiations. But in Turkey, every reform is perceived as a huge revolution, and this perception does not make things easier. One of these subjects is about the theological school in Heybeliada. This religious school's mission is to educate Orthodox clergy in order to serve Orthodox Christians in Turkey and other parts of the world. This old seminary was closed down several decades ago as a result of unfair policies towards minorities and also because of the ongoing tensions with Greece. Its reopening is now being discussed.
The Kemalist opposition says that in a secular country, a religious school should not be tolerated, and it accuses the government of using the Orthodox seminary issue as a screen to hide its real intention: allowing Sunni religious foundations to establish similar educational institutions. Besides, the main opposition party argues that this whole situation is a plot fomented by foreigners and the governing party is not capable of resisting these imperialist pressures. On the other hand, the nationalistic opposition perceives the reopening of this seminary as one step further into the resurrection of the Pontus project, i.e., the establishment of a Greek state in Turkey's Black Sea region. The government may also face harsh criticism from its own electorate as it tries to resolve the religious education problem of Christian minorities before the headscarf issue in universities.
The treatment of Turkey's Greek Orthodox population has been used as a type of hostage in exchange for the good treatment of the Turkish Muslim minority in Greece. Turkey was kind to its own minorities as long as Greece was kind towards its minorities or as long as Athens was cooperative on the Aegean or Cyprus issues. Turkish authorities preferred to forget that there may be no reciprocity on human rights issues and that the minorities are Turkish citizens, too. The government wants to change these old habits, but if this step, announced personally by chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış, does not receive some sort of answer from Greece, the opposition will certainly accuse the government of having lost precious leverage for nothing. In other words, the government is in a difficult position even though it is being brave.
The government has decided to confront these attacks because it really needs to revitalize the EU accession process and because it is aware that only this process may help to eradicate the double standards of human rights and democracy issues in Turkey. The Greek seminary issue is important for European public opinion, too, and it will be very symbolic if it is resolved by a government perceived as conservative Sunni. This attempt is also important because it can help the Turkish people reconsider minority-majority relations from a different perspective.
Even if complicated issues like Cyprus continue to be debated for a long time, the opening of the Orthodox seminary can mark the beginning of a new reform process. It will allow us to hope that the government is listening to the people who ask for more democracy and that it has decided to consolidate Turkey's determination to integrate with the EU.
