The decision by Turkish President Erdogan to convert the church of Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO world heritage site, to a mosque is regrettable but ultimately unsurprising. Whilst this decision carries great historical and religious significance to the Christian world its foremost significance lays in geopolitics. It signals the islamisation of Turkey, its politics, and its society. It is an axis shift that chooses to place Turkey outside the realm the Western world and deeper within its vision of a neo-ottoman sphere of influence in the Middle east and Asia.
The decision annuls the one previously made by the founder of the modern Turkish state, Kemal Ataturk, in the 1930’s. In an attempt to promote a secular, modern world Turkey, Kemal Ataturk decreed that Hagia Sophia would become a museum and not a mosque in recognition of its 1500 years Christian history and its significance to the Christian Orthodox world.
For many years Erdogan has attempted to revive a neo-ottoman view of the world. Today more than ever he is engaging in division, exclusion and expansionist politics. One cannot overlook the growing influence and involvement of Turkey in the Balkans (see Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) investments in Albania, North Macedonia and Bosnia), in the Caucasus region, in Syria, Egypt and most recently Libya. Erdogan has openly supported and promoted hard islamist groups in all these states.
Whilst today's announcement pains the Greek people it is imperative that Greece continue to show rationality, will and determination. As the leading Balkan politico-economic power it must continue to engage with all Balkan countries through promotion of unifying politics and EU membership for all the Western Balkan nations. As a Eurozone member state and a bastion of Western civilization it must continue to expose the actions of Turkey. It must convince the Western world that a non-secular Turkey that disregards human rights and has expansionist policies is not only a global pariah but also a serious global threat to stability and peace - a problem that requires a coordinated multinational response.
Many decades ago, the great Eleftherios Venizelos was able to convince the West of this to the benefit of Hellenism. It is imperative that this be repeated today.
Vasilis Giavris
Lawyer & Political Scientist
