Russia’s State Duma deputies are planning to ask that their Turkish counterparts make no hasty decisions regarding any changes to the Hagia Sophia’s status as the church museum in Constantinople.
The relevant draft address is published on the database of the lawmaking activity of the State Duma on Monday. “We are asking our colleagues, deputies of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to thoroughly study the evolving situation, and we are calling on them to display wisdom when making a decision on the status of the church museum of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople,” the draft address reads.
State Duma deputies are also calling for “not reviewing the decision of founder of modern Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who has turned the Hagia Sophia into the Symbol of peace and interfaith accord for many years.”
Russian lawmakers are convinced that “it is necessary to take every possible step to prevent any harm, which may be done by hastily changing the status of a museum of global significance.”
Source: interfax-religion.com