Greece said Turkey risked opening up ‘a huge emotional chasm’ with Christian countries if it converts the Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul into a mosque, Ekathimerini reported.
A Turkish court heard a petition Thursday seeking to convert the building into a mosque. It will announce its verdict within 15 days.
“Hagia Sophia is a world heritage monument… Many countries, culminating in the intervention of the US State Department, highlighted this very point, urging Turkey not to take steps which would create a huge emotional chasm between the Christians of the world and Turkey,” Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas told a briefing.