Turkey will inform the United Nation's cultural body UNESCO about steps being taken regarding Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Monday, after Ankara converted the museum back into a mosque.
Turkey is sensitive about protecting its historical character, Çavuşoğlu said. "We have to protect our ancestors' heritage. The function can be this way or that way - it does not matter," Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber.
Asked about criticism and expressions of concern from Greece, Pope Francis and others, Cavusoglu said the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque was lawful.
"We respect everyone's view even if we don't agree with it but we strongly reject comments made in a way that infringes on Turkey's sovereign rights," he said.
On Friday, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 cabinet decree that had turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum.
The court move paved the way for its use again as a mosque after 85 years.
The court ruled that the architectural gem was owned by a foundation established by Sultan Mehmet II, the conqueror of Istanbul, and presented to the community as a mosque -- a status that cannot be legally changed.
The Hagia Sophia was used as a church for centuries under the rule of the Byzantine Empire. It was turned into a mosque following the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. But in 1935, a cabinet decision had converted Hagia Sophia into a museum.
