A Reuters report that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has instructed officials to hold talks on reopening the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary, which has remained closed since 1971, along with his recent meeting with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and previous remarks made alongside U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, has renewed questions over the future of the historic theological school.

"The fundamental issue is not whether the seminary should reopen, but under what legal framework it would operate," Zakir Avşar, a professor from Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, told Daily Sabah. "If such an institution were established outside Türkiye's higher education system as an autonomous or semi-sovereign entity, it could erode the state's authority to regulate and oversee education."

According to a report by Reuters, President Erdoğan has reportedly instructed officials to begin talks on reopening the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary.

The move followed Erdoğan's June 16 meeting with Bartholomew at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.

The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, has fueled speculation that efforts to reopen the historic seminary may be gaining momentum.

"The question of reopening the Halki Seminary is frequently reduced to a debate over religious freedom in Türkiye," Avşar said.

He noted that the issue is far more layered, involving constitutional law, minority rights, international law, state sovereignty and diplomatic negotiations. It cannot be properly assessed without taking into account both its historical background and its legal foundations.

The Halki Seminary, located on Heybeliada, was founded in 1844 under the name Higher Orthodox School of Theology to train Orthodox clergy.

The seminary effectively ceased operations in 1971 after its theology department was closed following a ruling by Türkiye's Constitutional Court requiring private higher education institutions to be affiliated with state universities.

The patriarchate declined to accept the requirement, bringing theological education at the institution to an end.

"In modern state theory, education is regarded as one of the core functions of state sovereignty. The provision of religious education for minority communities cannot be considered outside this constitutional framework,” Avşar said.

He offered that any potential model should therefore be designed in full compliance with the constitutional order and national education legislation.

Following the meeting between Erdoğan and Bartholomew on June 16, Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, was also received by the Turkish leader on Tuesday in Ankara. The patriarch was accompanied by a delegation of clerics from the community.

The Syriac community had its first church in the republic era built under Erdoğan’s governments. The church was opened in 2023 in Istanbul’s Yeşilköy neighborhood in a ceremony attended by Erdoğan. It is estimated that about 17,000 Syriac residents live in the city. Assyrian Christianity traces its history to communities that lived in the A.D. first century in a region stretching from southeastern Türkiye to Syria and Iraq.

Avşar noted that under international human rights law, the ability of religious communities to train their own clergy is generally recognized as part of the institutional dimension of freedom of religion, adding that this principle has also been reflected in various rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

"However, contemporary legal scholarship does not treat this as an absolute or unrestricted right," he said.

Reminding that legitimate limitations based on public order, constitutional sovereignty and national security are recognized even in liberal democracies, he underlined, "The issue is therefore not a conflict between religious freedom and state sovereignty, but rather one of maintaining a careful normative balance between the two.”

The seminary provided a rigorous education in theology, philosophy and the arts, fostering a generation of educated clergy capable of leading the Orthodox community both spiritually and intellectually.

Halki quickly gained a reputation as the premier institution for Orthodox theological education, attracting students from Greece, the Balkans, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. Its curriculum encompassed Orthodox doctrine, biblical studies, liturgics and pastoral care, preparing graduates for leadership roles within the church.

According to Avşar, Erdoğan’s approach to this issue, as well as to other areas involving religious sensitivities, is based on freedom, fairness and the preservation of sovereignty.

"What stands out here is the preference for controlled diplomatic flexibility rather than categorical rejection or unconditional acceptance,” he added.

Moreover, the state of Halki seminary was among the topics discussed between Erdoğan and Trump during the two leaders’ meeting at the White House on Sept. 28, 2025.

Erdoğan signaled that he will soon meet with the Greek Orthodox patriarch to discuss the possible reopening of the school. "We are ready to do whatever is incumbent upon us regarding the Heybeliada school," Erdoğan told Trump during their meeting. "I will have the opportunity to discuss this matter with Bartholomew upon my return."

Avşar stressed that a sound solution would require a model that reconciles rights-based demands with the institutional continuity of the state within the same legal framework, rather than treating them as opposing poles.

"Türkiye’s historical state experience, legal tradition and diplomatic capacity provide a strong intellectual and institutional basis for establishing this balance,” he concluded.