Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis has started making telephone calls at an international level in response to the decision regarding the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis contacts Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, contacted from Corfu, where he is on a tour, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to whom he expressed his support.
The prime minister’s phone calls come in the wake of yesterday’s statement, in which he spoke of a decision that affected “not only Greece’s relations with Turkey” but also Turkey’s relations with the European Union.
Greece strongly denounces Turkey’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This decision – it has been 85 years since the declaration of Hagia Sophia as a museum – offends the universal nature of the monument. It is also a decision that offends all those who recognise the monument as a World Heritage Site. In addition, it, certainly, affects not only Turkey’s relations with Greece “but also its relations with the European Union, Unesco and the world community as a whole,” the prime minister said in a statement.
Erdogan’s wrong decision will cause him many problems
“Erdogan’s wrong decision will cause him many problems,” said Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Stelios Petsas, referring to the decision of the President of Turkey to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
“The issue of Hagia Sophia is an international issue. Admittedly, there must be an appropriate response to such infringement and such a great insult,” Stelios Petsas said in an interview with Greek Channel Sky TV. He added, “There is no doubt that we will impose some form of sanctions” and stressed that Greece would do everything in its power to ensure consequences for Turkey. “Erdogan made a historic mistake, a mistake that creates a gap. I hope that it is not unbridgeable,” he said.
The government spokesman called on Turkey to understand that “tough sanctions would be imposed on whoever violates international rules and commits such infringements.”