Greek MEP Eliza Vozemberg brings the matter of Turkey’s provocative actions regarding Hagia Sophia to the European Parliament.
She addressed an urgent question to the Commission and she called for an immediate European response and condemnation of “the provocative actions of the Turkish government, which offend Christians everywhere.”
In particular, the Greek MEP pointed out that the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had once again brought up the subject of the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a Muslim mosque. She added, “The President of Turkey announced the organisation of a ceremony at the Hagia Sophia on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople and he announced that Muslim prayers would be read from the Quran and that a pilgrimage would also take place.”
In a question to the European Commission, she stressed, “This is a very provocative action, by which the fact that Hagia Sophia is internationally recognised as a historic site and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is deliberately ignored for the umpteenth time.”
Mrs Vozemberg asked the European Commission whether it has been aware of those incidents, which alter the nature of Hagia Sophia as a global symbol of Christianity, but also whether it “intended to react immediately and condemn the provocative actions of the Turkish government.”