EU condemns Turkey’s decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia into a mosque

EU foreign ministers met for a meeting on Turkey, which France had previously requested because of the eastern Mediterranean/Libya tensions. At the meeting in Brussels, Turkey’s decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia was condemned. Joseph BORRELL, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy called on Turkey to urgently review the decision.

Borrell, High Representative for EU Foreign Relations and Security Policy, held a press conference after the meeting of foreign ministers, which included the cancellation of the Council of Ministers decision of 24 November 1934 on the conversion of Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque.

Based on the report by Sputnik Borrell said, “An important issue was Hagia Sophia. The EU Council on Foreign Relations condemns Turkey’s decision to turn such a landmark into a mosque. This decision will inevitably fuel distrust, encourage re-division among religious communities and damage our dialogue and cooperation efforts.”

The EU High Representative announced that the Union’s foreign ministers supported “the idea of calling for Turkey to urgently review and reverse the decision”. (DUVAR)