The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians said he was hopeful Turkey would re-open a historic seminary that was shut down nearly four decades ago, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The school, on the island of Halki off Istanbul, was the main centre of theological education for more than a century before it was closed by Turkish authorities in 1971 under a law to bring universities under state control. The EU has long asked Turkey to re-open the seminary in order to prove its commitment to human rights as it strives to become a member of the bloc. "We are hopeful that the seminary will open and we are waiting on official news from the government," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who represents the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians, was quoted by the agency.

"There has been a lot of talk so far, but no news from Ankara," he added. Keen to boost its bid to join the EU, Ankara has in recent years taken steps to improve the rights of its non-Muslim minorities, but has so far refrained from a move on the seminary.