ISTANBUL (TURKEY) – Turkey and Greece traded harsh words on Saturday over the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This comes a day after Islamic prayers were held for the first time in the monument which is sacred for both Christians and Muslims.
Greece came out with scathing criticism of the move to convert the museum into a mosque. This points to waning ties between both countries. Across Greece, church bells tolled in a mournful tone as prayers were held in Hagia Sophia with the participation of President Tayyip Erdogan.
“Greece showed once again its enmity towards Islam and Turkey with the excuse of reacting to Hagia Sophia Mosque being opened to prayers,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said on Friday.
The ministry also slammed the hostile statements by the Greek government and parliament members to stir up the public, and the burning of a Turkish flag in Thessaloniki.
It added that Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque in line with the will of the Turkish people and it belonged to Turkey like all other cultural assets.
The Greek Foreign Ministry said: “the international community of the 21st century is stunned to observe the religious and nationalist fanatic ramblings of today’s Turkey.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field