There is no place for theories saying that Hagia Sophia can be transformed into a place of worship of a religion that did not built it, Archbishop Demetrios of America said.
Demetrios, in his meeting with Greek Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis, and responding to a question by ANT1 TV regarding the issue that has emerged because of Erdogan’s statements on Hagia Sophia, stressed that it is a world cultural site, therefore it could not return to the state of a place of worship.
On his part, Minister Apostolakis agreed, saying that Hagia Sophia has been declared by UNESCO as a monument of world cultural heritage.
Also, after yesterday’s statements on Turkish provocation, the Minister of National Defense has tried to tone it down and to send another message to Ankara.
Visiting the Archdiocese of America and talking with Archbishop Demetrios, he stated that Turkey is a big problem and is not cooperating with its neighbours and NATO allies.
“We try, however,” Apostolakis said, “to find ways to reduce the sense of insecurity and constant tension. We are in the process, we are optimistic that we will achieve something better, let’s let things move forward,” he said.
“Apart from the actions and the statements of the Turks we remain in the line that tension must be reduced and we must find ways to do it, we try and we remain calm, our reactions are measured, we take everything under serious consideration in order to keep the channels (of communication) open,” the Minister of National Defense said.
Minister Apostolakis, also, met with the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on Thursday at the United Nations headquarters.
During the meeting, issues of mutual interest related to the Hellenic Armed Forces’ contribution to the peacekeeping operations of the Organization were discussed.
