Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II has voiced his deep regret over the Turkish authorities' decision to convert the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia monument back into a mosque.

In a statement released by the press office of the Mother See of St. Echmiadzin, the Supreme Patriarch also expressed the strong condemnation by the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) of the politically motivated move "essentially damaging the mutual understanding of religions and the process of dialogue ". Meantime, he reiterated the national church's call for revising the decision to re-establish "the peaceful co-existence of religions in Turkey."

"Notwithstanding the calls by pan-Christian organizations, the clergy leadership and political leaders, the Turkish government made a unilateral and condemnable decision, thereby violating the rights of the ethnic minorities in Turkey," the patriarch said, expressing grief over the disdain for the numerous Christians' calls and concerns, and the disrespectful attitude to the monument's status as a World Heritage Treasure listed by UNESCO.

"The holy Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian people - as a nation that has survived the Genocide - share the Orthodox brothers and sisters' pain and concern,," the catholicos added.