The State Duma calls on deputies of the Grand National Assembly (Parliament) of Turkey to influence the country's authorities when discussing changes to the status of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, as well as to prevent possible damage to it. The text of the corresponding appeal was adopted by the lower house of the Russian Parliament at a meeting on Tuesday unanimously.
"The deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation address their colleagues, the deputies of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, in connection with the consideration by the Turkish authorities of a sensitive issue for our citizens about changing the status of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul," the text reads. It states that it is "an outstanding monument of Byzantine architecture, a world masterpiece included in the UNESCO world heritage list". In addition, the deputies note, "this temple-museum is one of the most visited attractions of Istanbul by Russian tourists."
"The deputies of the State Duma are convinced that it is necessary to take all possible steps to prevent the damage that can be caused by a hasty change in the status of the world-wide museum," the appeal reads. It emphasizes that Russian deputies "deeply appreciate the friendly nature of Russian-Turkish relations, which are especially important for the peoples of... [Russia and Turkey] at a difficult time of growing geopolitical and other contradictions, complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic."
Russian parliamentarians ask the deputies of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to "comprehensively analyze the current situation" and call on those responsible "to show wisdom when making a decision on the status of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul and not to revise the decision of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, which for many years turned Hagia Sophia into a symbol of peace and inter-religious harmony".
Speaking at a meeting of the State Duma, the head of the State Duma's profile Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky noted that on July 7, the Turkish Parliament was expected to re-elect Mustafa Shentop as its Chairman, with whom Russian parliamentarians "closely interact both on the bilateral agenda and in the formats created in recent years on the initiative of the state Duma." "I am sure that the calls of the State Duma deputies to listen and keep in force the wise decision of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, thereby preserving Saint Sophia as a great symbol of the Orthodox world, will be heard in Ankara," Slutsky concluded.
The appeal was supported by all factions, while the LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky called the document soft.
Earlier, CNN Türk reported that the State Council of Turkey held a meeting on July 2 to discuss a possible change in the status of the Hagia Sophia. The discussion, according to the channel, lasted only 17 minutes. According to its results, it was reported that the decision of the State Council would be distributed within the next 15 days. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gave instructions to work out the issue of changing the status of the Cathedral at a meeting of the main Council of the justice and development Party, which he chaires.
Hagia Sophia
St. Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul is a monument of Byzantine architecture, which was built in 532-537 by the order of the Emperor Justinian. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the Cathedral was converted into a mosque. In 1935, according to a decree of the Turkish government, signed by the founder of the modern Turkish state Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Cathedral became a museum, and the frescoes and mosaics were stripped of their hiding layers of plaster. In 1985, the building was included in the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS