Karel Valansi'nin kaleminden...

During his visit to Istanbul, we met with Mr. Javier Hergueta, the ambassador of Spain to Ankara. We discussed Turkey- EU relations. We also talked about the Covid and vaccination situation in Spain, the second generation vaccine that they are developing, and the law that grants Spanish nationality to Sephardic people Spain has always been one of the supporters of Turkey’s accession to the EU. In January, at the opening of the Ambassadors Conference in Madrid, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Turkey is a strategic partner of growing importance. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated that Ankara appreciates Madrid’s constructive stance toward the Eastern Mediterranean conflict. He also wrote an article in the Spanish daily La Razon titled “Spain and Turkey: Mediterranean allies and partners.” Can Spain facilitate a constructive dialogue between Turkey and the EU on the East Mediterranean? Obviously, Spain and Greece are members of the EU. We maintain a const...

Adio Kerida (Goodbye my Beloved), a sad song about the expulsion of Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal, two countries they called home, echoed cheerfully through the walls of Edirne Great Synagogue during its re-opening ceremony. When this meaningful song was sung altogether once again at the end of the ceremony, some had tears in their eyes and some had their hands on their hearts. However, this five hundred years old requiem that symbolizes the yearning of Sephardic Jews had a whole different meaning, this time. All the Jews of this land and especially the Thrace Jews who were expelled from their homes in 1934, sang this song as “one”, with pure joy. And this time the tears that ran down their eyes were tears of joy instead of tears of sadness.