In a move to protect the cultural heritage of the Chora Monastery in Constantinople, Greece has escalated its response by seeking UNESCO’s intervention.
According to diplomatic sources, the Permanent Representative of Greece, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, met with Ernesto Ottone, the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO responsible for Cultural Affairs, as well as officials from the Cultural Heritage Center. This meeting, which took place on the first working day after the holiday period in France, saw Greece urgently raise the issue of the Turkish authorities’ decision to convert the Chora Monastery into a Muslim mosque.
During the meeting, Koumoutsakos expressed Greece’s intense concerns regarding the effects of this decision on the deterioration and alteration of the monument, which is a UNESCO-recognized site of unparalleled cultural value and an integral part of humanity’s heritage. He also emphasized that this decision directly contradicts the international rules for the protection of the world’s cultural heritage.
In response, the UNESCO Deputy Director-General diplomatically committed to thoroughly examining the issue in accordance with the organization’s procedures.
The development comes a day after hundreds of Muslim supporters gathered at the Chora Monastery for the first Friday noon prayer, following the monument’s conversion into a mosque.