Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria reacts with regret to Turkey's decision to convert Hagia Sophia in Istanbul back into mosque

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
Photo: EPA/BGNES

"We join the calls of the international community to preserve the existing access to the monument, given its history and its symbolic significance for Christianity and Islam. We expect the universal historical value of the monument to be preserved as part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage," reads a text published on the website of Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the change of status of the historic house of worship Hagia Sophia in Turkey's capital Istanbul. 

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree stipulating that the Hagia Sophia building, which currently operates as a museum and is one of the iconic sites of the Turkish capital, would be returned under the auspices of the religion service and converted back into a mosque. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Caretaker Premier Dimitar Glavchev

The second group of Bulgarians is ready for evacuation from Lebanon

''The second evacuation flight from Lebanon will be carried out today around noon, provided the circumstances are favorable'', caretaker Premier Dimitar Glavchev said before inaugurating the reconstructed border checkpoint “Kalotina”. The flight crew..

published on 10/1/24 12:30 PM

Bulgaria and the US discuss holding the next session of the strategic dialogue by the end of the year

Bulgaria’s caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov met in the United States with John Bass, Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. The two countries agreed that the next session of the strategic dialogue between Bulgaria and..

published on 10/1/24 12:11 PM

Four Bulgarian MEPs to be part of the delegation to the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee

Four Bulgarian MEPs will be part of the delegation to the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee, the European Parliament announced. The Bulgarian representatives in the delegation to the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee are..

published on 10/1/24 10:23 AM