Greece will launch an international campaign at the European Union, UNESCO, the United Nations and world religious institutions to highlight the conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque, the country’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
Speaking on Skai television, Nikos Dendias said that “Erdogan is crossing a line. He even repudiates his own country’s tradition. He is turning his back to the international community and its rules.”
He added that he will bring the issue of Hagia Sophia and Turkey’s behavior to Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, stressing that Athens is asking the EU to have a list of the most powerful measures against Turkey in case Turkey violates the sovereignty or sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus.
Despite that, Dendias said, Turkey should be given the space to reverse its decision on Hagia Sophia without seeming to bow to international pressure.
The foreign minister added that the issue is not one between Greece and Turkey but one involving the global community. “It is UNESCO that has the responsibility to protect the monument,” he said.
“It is not a Greek-Turkish issue, it is not even a European-Turkish issue. It is a matter of repealing rules and not respecting rules concerning the world community,” he added.