France's message to Turkey on Hagia Sophia: "It must stay open to everyone"

The French Foreign Ministry today demanded that Hagia Sophia in Constantinople remain “open to all”, a few hours after the Turkish State Council considered the request to turn the museum into a mosque.

“A symbol of secularism and multiculturalism, this place must remain open to all”, a ministry spokesman said, sending a message to Turkey and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the need to respect the monument.

Hagia Sophia has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is today one of the most visited monuments in Turkey.

Meanwhile, in a highly symbolic move, French Consul General in Constantinople Bertrand Buchwalter met today with His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Fanari, on the occasion of the end of his term in Turkey and his transfer to London.

During their cordial discussion, His Holiness thanked the Consul General for his interest in the issues of the Mother Church and the Greek Diaspora during his tenure in Constantinople and wished him all the best for the future.

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