MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the protection of the Christian cultural and religious heritage of Hagia Sophia in Turkey

B9‑0227/2020

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the protection of the Christian cultural and religious heritage of Hagia Sophia in Turkey

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 143 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Hagia Sophia historic religious monument in Istanbul, Turkey, was a Christian-Orthodox cathedral for about a thousand years, then a mosque and, since 1934, has been a museum open to the public;

B. whereas, owing to its exceptional cultural heritage, since 1985 Hagia Sophia has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site;

C. whereas, on 10 July 2020, the Turkish Council of State decided that Hagia Sophia would once again become a place of Islamic worship accessible only to Muslims; whereas this decision was taken unilaterally, without the prior approval of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Committee; 

D. whereas, in its resolution of 13 March 2019 on the 2018 Commission Report on Turkey (2018/2150 (INI)), the European Parliament called on the Turkish Government to ‘respect and fully implement the legal obligations which it has entered into concerning the protection of cultural heritage’, opposing the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque;

1. Calls on the Commission to urge the Turkish Government to review the decision of the Council of State and to keep Hagia Sophia as a museum that is open to the public, in accordance with interreligious and intercultural dialogue and the immense cultural value that this monument has for the Christian faith.