Hagia Sophia must remain part of humanity's shared heritage, Spanish minister says

By Reuters

Published: 04:45 pm Jul 27, 2020

FILE - In this Friday, March 24, 2017 file photo, people walk backdropped by the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's main tourist attractions, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. The 6th-century building is now at the center of a heated debate between conservative groups who want it to be reconverted into a mosque and those who believe the World Heritage site should remain a museum. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)

MADRID: Spain’s foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Monday it was important that Turkey’s Hagia Sophia remains part of humanity’s shared global heritage, after it was reconverted into a mosque from a museum last week. “For us it is important that the spirit of this great monument of Hagia Sophia is maintained,” she said at a joint news conference with her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.

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Hagia Sophia must remain part of humanity's shared heritage, Spanish minister says