The US State Department on Wednesday reacted by reiterating the standing U.S. position, calling on Turkiye to ensure access to the monuments of different religious communities that are converted into mosques, in response to the conversion of the historic Monastery of Chora into a Muslim site of worship.
Replying to an Athens-Macedonian News Agency question, a State Department spokesperson said that this must be done in a way that respects the diverse history of the monument.
The spokesperson said that the State Department is aware that the “Museum of Chora, a world heritage site,” has been reopened as a mosque, referring the journalist to the Turkish government more further details. He also stated that Washington encourages the Turkish government to preserve and ensure accessibility to sites and buildings that have hosted different religious communities in a way that respects their diverse history.
The State Department has expressed the same position in July 2020 when Hagia Sophia had been converted from a museum into a mosque.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
