Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos has said that Hagia Sophia belongs neither to Greeks nor Turks but to the entire humanity.

"Hagia Sophia doesn't belong to today's Turks and Greeks, it belongs to the civilization of humanity," Pangalos said.

"These kinds of architectural structures are protected by UNESCO as part of the heritage of humanity. In this regard, all kinds of moves to claim [such structures] are meaningless. I believe that any nationality visiting Hagia Sophia will have the same feeling at the entrance. Turks and Greeks should feel proud of this monument and should be more warm-hearted about it. Regarding Hagia Sophia, we should think about 'how it will remain' and 'how it will be visited after us,' instead of thinking 'how we can own it'," he said, Today’s Zaman reported.