https://sputnikglobe.com/20200713/eu-foreign-ministers-condemn-turkeys-decision-to-convert-hagia-sophia-to-mosque-1079872634.html

EU Foreign Ministers Condemn Turkey's Decision to Convert Hagia Sophia to Mosque

Sputnik International

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - EU foreign ministers condemn Turkey's decision to convert Hagia Sophia from a museum back into a mosque, as it may fuel mistrust between... 13.07.2020, Sputnik International

2020-07-13T14:54+0000

2020-07-13T15:22+0000

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/07/0d/1079872775_0:72:3073:1810_1920x0_80_0_0_60612a2c24235ebcab02681ffe5f3ab0.jpg

turkiye

istanbul

Sputnik International

feedback@sputniknews.com

+74956456601

MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“

252

2020

Sputnik International

feedback@sputniknews.com

+74956456601

MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“

252

News

en_EN

Sputnik International

feedback@sputniknews.com

+74956456601

MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“

252

1920

1080

true

1920

1440

true

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e4/07/0d/1079872775_0:0:3073:1930_1920x0_80_0_0_d89c1e2881065c368d2d05622162968c.jpg

1920

true

Sputnik International

feedback@sputniknews.com

+74956456601

MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“

252

Sputnik International

europe, newsfeed, turkiye, istanbul, mosque, hagia sophia

EU Foreign Ministers Condemn Turkey's Decision to Convert Hagia Sophia to Mosque

14:54 GMT 13.07.2020 (Updated: 15:22 GMT 13.07.2020)

© AFP 2023 / OZAN KOSEA picture taken on July 11, 2020 shows police fences set up around Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, a day after a top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century Hagia Sophia's status as a museum, clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque. - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 11 rejected worldwide condemnation over Turkey's decision to convert the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, saying it represented his country's will to use its "sovereign rights".

A picture taken on July 11, 2020 shows police fences set up around Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, a day after a top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century Hagia Sophia's status as a museum, clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque. - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 11 rejected worldwide condemnation over Turkey's decision to convert the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, saying it represented his country's will to use its sovereign rights. - Sputnik International

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - EU foreign ministers condemn Turkey's decision to convert Hagia Sophia from a museum back into a mosque, as it may fuel mistrust between religious communities, European Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said Monday.

"An important issue was about Hagia Sophia. The council has condemned Turkey's decision to convert such an emblematic monument as Hagia Sophia back to a mosque. This decision will inevitably fuel mistrust, promote renewed division between religious communities and undermine our efforts at dialogue and cooperation", Borrell told a press conference.

The EU foreign ministers have supported the idea to call on Turkey to "urgently reconsider and reverse this decision", Borrell said.

Hagia Sophia Converted to Mosque

Turkey's highest administrative court on Friday annulled a 1934 decree, which initially made the Hagia Sophia into a museum. This decision means that the site can now be used as a mosque, and a presidential decree was signed opening the Hagia Sophia for Muslim prayers.

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul - Sputnik International

Moscow Sees Decision to Convert Hagia Sophia Into Mosque as Turkey's Domestic Matter

13 July 2020, 07:16 GMT

President Erdogan said on Saturday that the decision will help continue to build a strong and mighty Turkey.

The ruling to convert the site in Istanbul into a mosque has been met with strong criticism from religious and political leaders across the world. The Russian Orthodox Church and the head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis have expressed their regret at the decision.