ATHENS — Greece strongly condemns Turkey's decision to turn the World Heritage monument of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday, noting that this "insults its ecumenical character".

In a statement, the premier said, "This decision – coming 85 years after it was declared a museum – is an insult to its ecumenical character. It also constitutes a choice that similarly insults all those who recognize the monument as part of world culture."

The decision, Mitsotakis underlined, "affects not only Turkey's relations with Greece, but those with the European Union, UNESCO, and the global community as a whole."

"It is regrettable that the Turkish leadership, which in 2005 worked for the Alliance of Cultures, now chooses to move in the entirely opposite direction," he said.