Cyprus strongly condemns Turkey’s actions on Hagia Sophia in its effort to distract domestic opinion, and calls on Turkey to respect its international obligations, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Christodoulides says on his Twitter account.

“#Cyprus is poignantly a victim, since the 1974 Turkish invasion and subsequent occupation of part of its territory, of #Turkey’s orchestrated policy of destruction and looting of religious and cultural heritage monuments,” Christodoulides says in his tweet.

He adds that “#Turkey’s escalating, flagrant violation of its international obligations is manifested in its decision to alter the designation of #HagiaSophia, a world heritage site that is a universal symbol of the Orthodox faith.”

“#Cyprus strongly condemns #Turkey’s actions on #HagiaSophia in its effort to distract domestic opinion, and calls on #Turkey to respect its international obligations,” Christodoulides points out.