Russian diplomacy said on Monday that the conversion of the former Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to a mosque was an " internal affair " of Turkey, comments measured after criticism by the Russian Orthodox Church.
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" We consider this to be an internal affair of Turkey and neither we nor others should interfere, " said Russian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergei Verchinin, quoted by the public agency RIA Novosti. " However, we cannot fail to draw attention to the importance of this site from the point of view of world culture and civilization ," he added.
The basilica open to Muslim prayers
The statement comes after the Russian Orthodox Church regretted Friday that the " concern " of " millions of Christians " was not heard by Turkey, after the decision of the highest Turkish administrative court to dismiss the museum status in Sainte-Sophie.
Read also: Hagia Sophia: Erdogan completely rejects international condemnations
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then announced that the ex-basilica would be open for Muslim prayers as a mosque on Friday July 24. This decision provoked an avalanche of international critics, from Washington to Paris via Unesco and Greece, an Orthodox country.
A major architectural work built in the 6th century by the Byzantines who crowned their emperors there, Hagia Sophia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the main tourist attractions in Istanbul with some 3.8 million visitors. 2019.
