"Best regards": Erdogan signs a decree to change Hagia Sophia's status
The document provides for the transfer of Hagia Sophia to the Directorate for Religious Affairs of Turkey so that it will be opened as a mosque.
On July 10, 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree changing Hagia Sophia’s status from a museum to a mosque. The Head of State tweeted the photo of the decree with the words "Best regards".
In this decree, the Turkish President refers to the court decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia Cathedral, which was adopted a few hours earlier.
The decree also says: "Decided: to transfer the administration of Aya Sofya to the Diyanet (the Directorate for Religious Affairs of Turkey – Ed.) and open it for divine services".
As reported earlier, on July 10, 2020, the 10th Chamber of the State Council of Turkey annulled the decision of the Council of Ministers of November 24, 1934, to turn the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul from a mosque to a museum.
