The Greek government has condemned the fiestas Turkey is preparing on Friday, May 29, on the 567. anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople. One of the fiestas to take place in Istanbul tonight outside the former church and patriarchal cathedral of Greek Orthodoxy, the Hagia Sophia, a museum since 1932.
Government spokesman, Stelios Petsas, expressed the country’s disapproval of the planned events on Friday, saying that the fiesta outside Hagia Sophia is annoying because, apart from everything else, [Hagia Sophia] has been proclaimed a world cultural heritage museum and it is now being used to promote other purposes.”
Petsas pointed out that this was not the first time that something along these lines was happening at the historic church.
“We are monitoring any provocation but we always promote good neighborly relations, in accordance with international law,” he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Thursday that mosques will re-open for worshipers on Friday and a big collective prayer would be held outside the Hagia Sofia.
According to the festivities program, a projector will be installed at Hagia Sophia, images from the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the journey of Mohammed II the Conqueror – Fatih Sultan Mehmet – will be displayed, along with his “arrival” at Hagia Sophia.
Later, the “Prayer of Victory” will be recited. The prayer is Chapter 48. of the Koran. Sura 48th consists of 29 verses, referring to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which was achieved by the Prophet Muhammed, as well as to the virtues of the Muslim community.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be present via video. The event outside Hagia Sophia is scheduled to begin 9:00 p.m. local time.
Last year, Erdogan announced his intention to covert Hagia Sophia into a mosque, as it was from 1455 until 1932. So far, he has refrained from doing so, especially after UNESCO warned of consequences for the Turkish cultural and scientific community.
That damn fool Erdogan is a Recipe for disaster for his own people. He will rile the wrong people one day, & will lose everything, that Mustafa Kemal gajned through genocide & pillage.