Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora have been identified and included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. While Turkey is a member of the UNESCO Alliance of Cultures and is (supposedly) committed to interfaith and intercultural dialogue, as well as to promoting tolerance and coexistence between cultures, it has turned the museums of Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora into mosques. These moves clearly demonstrate that Turkey does not intend to honour its international obligations, as in many other cases , not even in matters concerning cultural heritage.

In light of the above, will the Commission reply as to :

1. Does the EU intend to cut funding to Turkey for cultural heritage activities, such as the Common Cultural Heritage Grant Scheme: Conservation and Dialogue between Turkey and the EU? (Footnote 1)

2. What other concrete consequences are foreseen for these  unacceptable actions of Turkey in relation to cultural heritage?

Footnote 1: Grant Scheme for Common Cultural Heritage: Preservation and dialogue between Turkey and the EU.

Read the question here and the answer of Commissioner Várhelyi here.