After coming closer together following meetings between their leaders, Greece and Turkey are at odds over a proposal by Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to re-open the Halki Seminary if Greece revives two mosques in Athens and allows Muslims to elect their own muftis.
Erdogan and Greece Prime Minister Antonis Samaras enjoyed cordial relations and agreements on a number of contentious issues, but religion and ancient enmities are proving more difficult to conquer. Both have said they want to overcome the vexing difficulties presented by religious questions.
Greece rejected the seminary-for-mosque tradeoff even though Samaras is the first Greek leader to push through a planned renovation of an Athens building for the country’s first official mosque and has supported religious freedom.
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