The Hagia Sophia mosque will be open to visitors of all religions, and anyone who wants to can visit this amazing building, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
“HAGIA SOPHIA TO BE OPEN TO VISITORS OF ALL RELIGIONS”
After a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in Brussels, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in regards to Hagia Sophia that nobody can interfere with Turkey’s sovereign rights.
Aksoy stressed that Hagia Sophia’s status is an internal matter and is the property of Turkey.
“Hagia Sophia will continue to embrace everyone with its new status, preserving the common cultural heritage of humanity,” he said.
Aksoy also emphasized that all parties are aware of Turkey’s stance on the issue of the Eastern Mediterranean and the first step toward resolving the issue is to establish a cooperation mechanism for the fair sharing of hydrocarbon resources between the two peoples of the island of Cyprus.
He added that there should be a resumption of dialogue channels with Turkey and that the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean can only end through the adoption of such approaches by all parties.