After the first prayer in Hagia Sophia: Turkish government responds to negative reaction from Greece

(Patria) – The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday condemned the statements of Greek authorities regarding the Hagia Sophia mosque and protests in Greece where the Turkish flag was also burned.

- Greece has once again shown hostility towards Islam and Turkey under the guise of reacting to the Hagia Sophia mosque, which has been opened for prayers, said the spokesperson for the ministry, Hami Aksoy, in a statement.

Let us recall that Hagia Sophia, which was converted into a mosque by the decision of the Turkish Supreme Court and a decree by President Erdoğan, was opened for Friday prayers for the first time yesterday, attended by the President himself.

At the same time, church bells rang in Greece in sorrow and protest against this move by Turkey.

In a message on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Turkey that it 'creates problems', while calling the conversion of the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque an 'insult to 21st-century civilization'.

Most Greeks consider Hagia Sophia, originally a Byzantine church, to be one of the holiest Orthodox sites.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it 'strongly condemns the hostile statements' of the Greek government and parliament, as well as the burning of the Turkish flag in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. 

The statement also said that Hagia Sophia was opened for prayer in accordance with the will of the Turkish people, and that it belongs to Turkey, like all other cultural sites in the country.

Reuters writes that there is disagreement between Greece and Turkey on many issues, such as maritime zones and the ethnically divided Cyprus.