Foreign Minister steps in to facilitate the building of a church

Istanbul's historic district of Beyoğlu under Mayor Misbah Demircan has set a custom that suits Istanbul's history well by starting the "Beyoğlu Conversations."

The tradition of talking and discussing is central to Istanbul's culture. It is the faith and human diversity of the city. It is the genuine and truthful conversations between people of all faiths, religions, cultures and races. 

It is an environment where ideas can be expressed freely.  The venue where the meeting took place was Pera Palas which makes it more meaningful. 

At an event the other day, the guest of the evening was Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who replied with all his sincerity to all the questions raised. 

At one point, the representative of the Syriac Church said something in Çavuşoğlu's ear. Minister Çavuşoğlu responded to his question and said "How come? Why should that church not be built? One minute…" 

The representative later responded and said "Yes, permission from the Vatican is needed in terms of the venue…"

The minister later told his executive assistant to solve the problem immediately, starting from tomorrow right away, and if necessary, the Vatican will be contacted to solve the issue of finding a venue for the church."

At first, I could not understand what exactly this was. I asked Yusuf Sağ from the Syriac Church sitting next to me. Sağ told me, "Syriacs do not have a church in Istanbul. For this reason we were in search for a venue.

There is a plot owned by a Vatican foundation in Yeşilköy in Istanbul, however we could not overcome bureaucratic procedures. Because there is a cemetery on the land, the approval of the Vatican is necessary.

For this reason, we asked Mr. Minister's help… He has...