Greece on Tuesday described Turkey’s decision to convert the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to a mosque as "unnecessary and petty” and called for tougher European Union action over Ankara’s gas exploration activities in the Mediterranean.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s move to switch the status of
Hagia Sophia to a mosque has struck a raw nerve with many Greeks, who
revere the sixth century building as a focal point of their Orthodox
Christian faith.
Greece, whose relations with Turkey are fraught with historical tensions, says the matter is not a bilateral dispute.
"With this backward action, Turkey is opting to sever links with
western world and its values,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
said.
"Confronted with this unnecessary, petty initiative from
Turkey, Greece is considering its response at all levels,” Mitsotakis
said, in a reference to Hagia Sophia.
A Turkish court ruled last week that Hagia Sophia's conversion to a
museum in 1934 was unlawful. Declaring the building a mosque, Erdogan
said prayers would be held there within two weeks, in a move that drew
international criticism.
Relations between Greece and Turkey
are often tense over Cyprus, divided between its Greek and Turkish
Cypriot populations after an abortive Greek-inspired coup which
triggered a Turkish invasion in 1974.
Moves by the island’s
Greek Cypriot-led government to explore for offshore natural gas have
been countered by Turkish attempts at gas exploration in the same areas.
"Europe should once and for all draft a specific list of actions, and
sanctions against a country which seeks to be a regional troublemaker,
and which is evolving into a threat to the stability of the whole
south-east Mediterranean region,” Mitsotakis said.
[Reuters - ekathimerini.com, July 14, 2020]
