Minister of Foreign Affairs George Katrougalos responded to T. Erdogan’s provocative statements that he is thinking of renaming Hagia Sophia as a mosque instead of a museum, so the visitors will not have to pay for a visit at specific hours, as they do at the “Blue Mosque” (Sultan Ahmed Mosque).
When asked to comment on the recent provocative Erdogan’s statement on Hagia Sophia, stressing that it is not only a great temple of Christianity – the largest one for many centuries- but it is also a possession of humanity and has been recognized by UNESCO as part of our world cultural heritage, the Foreign Minister sent the following message:
“Any kind of challenge of this status is not only insulting the religious feelings of Christians, but it is also insulting the international community and international law. We want to hope that the correct statements of the Turkish leadership on March 16, will come into force and there will be no change to this status.”
Source: ERT