The Greek Community of Alexandria calls on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “to respect the history of his country and the decisions of the leading figure of the Turks, Kemal Ataturk, who characterized Hagia Sophia as a museum and a monument that unites peoples.”
Expressing, as he emphasized, the entire Greek community of the city of Alexander the Great in Egypt, the president of the most historic community for expatriates in the country of Nile, Edmond Cassimatis, also expresses the community’s sorrow, its concern, as well as its firm opposition to the decision of the Turkish government and President Erdogan to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
“Hagia Sophia, the symbol of freedom of religion and multiculturalism, which UNESCO has designated as a world heritage site, must remain as it is and be open and accessible to every visitor,” the president of the Greeks of Alexandria said. He pointed out that “the latest statements and moves of the Turkish President, which include his decision on the Hagia Sophia, create a climate of coldness and instability among the Eastern Mediterranean states, which does not contribute to the development and cooperation of all the neighboring peoples.”
Moreover, “the Greek Community of Alexandria unites its voice with all world figures but also ordinary people of politics, religion, intellect and art, and calls on every person who believes in the ideals of freedom and freedom of religion, to fight together in many ways to prevent this tactic of intolerance and religious fanaticism.”
The president of the Greeks of Alexandria concluded by saying that “in these difficult times, as in the past in similar situations, we are on the side of the Great Church of Christ and the leading Orthodox figure, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. We pray and ask God, even at the last moment, for logic to prevail and for the global desire for the good of the peoples and the peaceful future of the eastern Mediterranean to be heard.”
Source: ANA-MPA