Rome, 23 June 2020
The Italian Committee of Byzantine Studies, member of the International Association of Byzantine Studies (AIEB), having learned of the initiatives of the Turkish government about Haghia Sophia from the press and the social media and having been solicited by its members and from other national committees of Byzantine Studies, expresses its serious concern at the measures that intend to change the previously defined status of Haghia Sophia.
If the announced measures will be followed by facts, this decision, in addition to representing a violation of international regulations and a lack of respect for a World Cultural Heritage monument, will have a deep impact on the scientific collaboration in the years to come.
The Bureau of the Italian Committee of Byzantine Studies