Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued his provocations in rhetoric following Friday prayers.

“It was a dream since I was young to free Hagia Sophia from the shackles of slavery,” he told a crowd of Muslim prayer gatherers, a week before the Byzantine cathedral’s conversion to a mosque.

“The opening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque is a matter of our sovereignty,” he said, adding that the world condemnation was devoid of content.

The opening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque on 24 July is expected to draw from 1,000 to 1,500 people.

READ MORE: Failed coup performance ahead of Hagia Sophia conversion

While this action has prompted international reaction, Russia has been complacent.

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said, during a radio interview, that Moscow’s relations with Ankara “would not be affected” by the decision, an “internal matter” for Turkey. He added that Russian tourists would benefit from the conversion. “I tell you that Hagia Sophia tickets are quite expensive. There will be no tickets now and admission will be free. Our tourists will benefit from this,” he said.