Yesterday the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag unblocked spending on the planned Tarabya Cultural Academy in the grounds of the German Ambassador's residence in Istanbul.

Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed the decision as follows:

“Paving the way for the Tarabya Cultural Academy has not been easy. In many respects we had to seek a new path. We now have a viable concept and in the Goethe-Institut the optimal partner. This decision means work on the planned Academy can go ahead very soon. I am confident that by the end of 2010 Tarabya will be a hive of activity and exchange with Istanbul's artistic and cultural scene.”