Russia’s State Duma has supported the idea of returning Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia Cathedral to the Christian church, RBK writes.

Sergey Gavrilov, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) MP and coordinator of inter-faction deputy group on protecting Christian values, urged this to Turkey. “We expect from the Turkish side a friendly step – to return the Hagia Sophia Cathedral to the Christian church. The Russian side is ready to participate materially, and also to engage the best Russian restorers and scientists to the restoration of the ecumenical Christian monument. This step would help Turkey and Islam to demonstrate that the good will is above politics,” Gavrilov said.  

According to the CPRF, today when the Russian-Turkish relations are experiencing a strength test, “mutual friendly initiatives and proposals are especially important.”