Statement by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Greece condemns in the strongest terms Turkey's decision to convert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This decision -that came 85 years since its designation as a museum- is an offense to its universal nature. This is a decision that offends all those who acknowledge the monument as part of world civilisation. Of course, this affects Turkey's relations not only with Greece but also with the European Union, UNESCO and the global community as a whole. It is regrettable that Turkey’s leadership, who worked to establish the Alliance of Civilisations in 2005, today opted to move in the exact opposite direction.