“An outstanding monument of Byzantine architecture, a world masterpiece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this cathedral-museum is one of the most visited sights of Istanbul by Russian tourists,” the text of appeal said, which was prepared by the Committee on International Affairs.
It states that all possible steps should be taken to prevent the damage that could be caused by a hasty change in the status of the world famous museum.
Members of the State Duma urged their colleagues from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to comprehensively review the situation and when taking a decision on the status of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, to demonstrate wisdom and not revise the decision of the founder of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who transferred the cathedral into a museum in 1935, and that had made Hagia Sophia a symbol of peace and interreligious harmony for many years.
