“We are astonished by the press release issued by the U.S. Department of State on the status of the Hagia Sophia,” Aksoy said.

He reminded that Turkey took silent revolutionary steps to protect the freedom of religion and belief, which is guaranteed by its constitution and laws, for all its citizens without any discrimination.

“In this context, we protect meticulously all cultural properties that we own without any distinction, including Hagia Sophia, within the framework of the tradition of tolerance stemming from our culture and history,” he stated.

He underlined that Turkey has been delicately cherishing the historical, cultural and spiritual value of Hagia Sophia since its conquest.

“On this occasion, we remind once again a reality that we have to repeat constantly. The Hagia Sophia is the property of Turkey, like all our cultural assets located on our land. Every kind of power disposition regarding Hagia Sophia is also an issue concerning our internal affairs within Turkey's sovereignty rights.”

“Naturally everyone is free to express their own opinion. However, it oversteps the mark to talk about our sovereignty rights using a language of warning and imposition,” he concluded. (ILKHA)