Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin this afternoon.

During the communication the two leaders focused on bilateral relations, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider region and the issue of the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque which is a provocation for the entire Orthodox Christian world.

The contact is a significant political development as the Kremlin can exert pressure on Ankara in order to tone down its stance and belligerent actions in the Mediterranean, especially after the the issuing of the NAVTEX and the provocative decision over the Hagia Sophia.

The communication comes after the recent egregious and “inflammatory” statements of the representative of the Russian president, Dmitry Peshkov, who said that … Russian tourists will benefit from the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, because the entrance will be free!