President Erdogan Hosts a Crucial Meeting

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Mor Ignatius II. Ephrem Kerim, and his accompanying delegation at the Presidential Complex. This meeting took place behind closed doors as part of diplomatic and religious contacts. It comes after a similar meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, last week. President Erdogan's reception of the spiritual leader of the Syriac community is seen as a new step in Ankara's minority rights and religious freedom diplomacy. The timing of the meeting is notable, but no detailed statement has been released by official authorities regarding its content and the topics discussed. President Erdogan had also met with Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, last week. After that meeting, it was rumored that significant progress had been made towards the reopening of the historic Heybeliada Seminary, which has been closed since 1971.