France says Istanbul's Hagia Sophia must remain open to all

A Turkish court on Thursday heard a petition seeking to convert the Hagia Sophia, one of Turkey's most visited and beloved tourist sites, back into a mosque. "A symbol of tolerance and diversity, this place must remain open to all," a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

France's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the sixth-century Hagia Sophia museum originally built as a Christian cathedral in Istanbul must remain open to all. A Turkish court on Thursday heard a petition seeking to convert the Hagia Sophia, one of Turkey's most visited and beloved tourist sites, back into a mosque.

"A symbol of tolerance and diversity, this place must remain open to all," a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said. The Hagia Sophia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was at the core of both the Christian Byzantine and Muslim Ottoman empires, and is today one of Turkey's most visited monuments.