The United States continues to support the preservation of Hagia Sophia’s multireligious character, the State Department said in a new statement. The US State Department reiterates its support for maintaining the current status of Hagia Sophia just one day after the publication of the report on religious freedom around the world for the year 2019.
“Our position has not changed. We still consider the Hagia Sophia a monument of special importance and we support its preservation in a way that respects its multicultural history,” a State Department spokesman told Greek correspondents.
The report on religious freedom around the world said that senior US officials continued to raise the issue with their Turkish counterparts, supporting the preservation of Hagia Sophia in a way that would be consistent with its multicultural history. According to the report, “regarding the US policy on the protection of religious freedom in Turkey, it is emphasized that the ambassador, other embassy and consular officials, as well as visiting US officials, raise the issue at their meetings with Turkish officials on an ongoing basis.”
Source: ANA-MPA