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Turkish President confirmed he has signed a decree converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque - UPDATED

10 July 2020 18:26 (UTC +04:00)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Friday that he has signed a decree converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque, APA reports.

"It has been decided to delegate control over Hagia Sophia to Diyanet [Directorate of Religious Affairs] and open it for prayers," the decree that Erdogan posted on Twitter read.

***17:24

Turkey's highest administrative court, the Council of State, has annulled the 1934 decree converting Hagia Sophia into a museum, which means that it can now be used as a mosque, APA reports citing CNN Turk.

Ankara has repeatedly stressed that it considers the status of Hagia Sophia, located in Istanbul, its domestic affair and opposes any foreign interference in the decision.

Just earlier on Friday, UNESCO called on the Turkish government to preserve Hagia Sophia as a museum.