“Turkey decided to change the status of Hagia Sophia from museum to mosque based on the desire of the people. The opinion of other countries cannot influence our decision, ”Anadolu quoted Erdogan as saying.
On July 10, the Turkish State Council overturned the 1934 decision to turn the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a museum. Then Erdogan signed a decree that allowed Muslim worship to be held in Hagia Sophia.
The United States said they were disappointed with the decision of the Turkish authorities in this regard. Regret was also expressed in the EU, in UNESCO, and in the Russian Orthodox Church.