Greece strongly condemns Turkey’s decision to turn the World Heritage monument of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday, noting that this “insults its ecumenical character”.
In a statement, the premier said, “This decision – coming 85 years after it was declared a museum – is an insult to its ecumenical character. It also constitutes a choice that similarly insults all those who recognize the monument as part of world culture.”
The decision, Mitsotakis underlined, “affects not only Turkey’s relations with Greece, but those with the European Union, UNESCO, and the global community as a whole.”
“It is regrettable that the Turkish leadership, which in 2005 worked for the Alliance of Cultures, now chooses to move in the entirely opposite direction,” he said.
UNESCO ‘deeply regrets’ Turkish decision on Hagia Sophia monument
UNESCO said it “deeply regrets the decision of the Turkish authorities, made without prior discussion,” to change the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque, following a Turkish court decision publicized by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.
According to press reports, Erdogan has stated that the first Muslim prayer in Hagia Sophia will be held on July 24, and that it will remain open to Muslims, Christians and foreigners alike.
“Hagia Sophia is an architectural masterpiece and a unique testimony to interactions between Europe and Asia over the centuries. Its status as a museum reflects the universal nature of its heritage, and makes it a powerful symbol for dialogue,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.