US Senator Menendez denounces Hagia Sophia conversion
US Senator Robert Menendez criticised on Friday a decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to officially declare Istanbul's Hagia Sophia a mosque, after a top court ruling opened the way to the conversion.
“I strongly denounce Turkey’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. I urge Erdogan to reverse course and restore Hagia Sophia’s remarkable legacy as a museum for people of all faiths and cultures to visit,” he said on his official Twitter account.
Earlier on Friday, Turkey's Council of State ruled that the ancient building's conversion to a museum by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was illegal.
