On March 25, 2012, US President Barack Obama congratulated Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his decision to reopen the Theological School of Halki. The Halki seminary, the main theological school of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, was shut down by the Turkish government in 1971. For the last couple of years, the AKP (Justice and Development Party) raised the hopes of Orthodox Christians all around the world that the seminary was to reopen. Many were sure the democratization package of Sept. 30 would realize this dream. It did not, and indeed now the possibility looks even less likely.

When asked about Halki, Erdogan and his ministers, particularly Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, EU Minister Egemen Bagis and Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, made it clear that Halki was deliberately kept out of the package. Erdogan reiterated that the reopening of the school is a matter of minutes for Turkey, with no legal barriers remaining. Erdogan explained Halki was not in the package because, “Why should we always give? We ask for reciprocity.”

Erdogan set two conditions: First, the Greek government should allow Turkey to renovate two Athens mosques from the Ottoman era and open them for services. Second, Erdogan said, “We have 150,000 compatriots in Western Thrace; the Greek government appoints a mufti for them, while we do not get involved in who will be the patriarch in Istanbul. We ask the Greek government to let the Muslims to choose their own mufti.”

It is intriguing that democratization package holds a matter of religious freedom as a “bargaining chip” for the inalienable rights of an “official minority” in Turkey; and the Turkish government openly demands “reciprocity” from Greece on an issue that was omitted from its own democratization package for “Turkish citizens’ rights.” If you are confused already, you can join in the “minorities” on both sides of the border. Neither side was happy to hear their rights turned back into the Oriental bazaar for concessions.