20:33 06/07/2020
Russian Orthodox Church says 'unacceptable' to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque
Converting Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia monument from a museum to a mosque would be “unacceptable”, a senior official in the Russian Orthodox Church said on Saturday, according to Reuters report.
The source reminds that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has proposed restoring the mosque status of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, a sixth century building at the heart of both the Christian Byzantine and Muslim Ottoman empires and now one of Turkey’s most visited monuments.
“We can’t go back to the Middle Ages now,” Metropolitan Hilarion, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, said on state television, the Interfax news agency reported.
“We live in a multipolar world, we live in a multi-confessional world and we need to respect the feelings of believers.”
He said the Russian Orthodox Church did not understand the motive for Hagia Sophia’s conversion and that it believed domestic politics was behind the move.
“We believe that in the current conditions this act is an unacceptable violation of religious freedom,” he was quoted as saying.
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:
Newsfeed
14:33
Bashar al-Assad's wife reportedly files for divorce
The British wife of Syria’s deposed president Bashar al-Assad, Asma al-Assad, has filed for divorce after expressing dissatisfaction with...
Source Panorama.am
14:07
Opposition MP: Armenian leaders focused on justifying themselves amid Azerbaijan's military buildup
The intensive mutual visits of Azerbaijani and Turkish military officials are largely part of a plan to reform Azerbaijan’s armed forces,...
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13:30
Trump pledges to stop 'transgender lunacy'
President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to "stop the transgender lunacy" on day one of his presidency, AFP reported....
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13:08
Yerevan mayor addresses criticism over expensive US trip
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan has addressed criticism over his expensive flight tickets for a trip to the U.S. in November.
The...
Source Panorama.am
12:34
Famous ophthalmologist Alexander Malayan dies at 76
Renowned ophthalmologist Alexander Malayan has passed away at the age of 76, YSMU Rector Armen Muradyan broke the news on Facebook on...
Source Panorama.am
12:15
Boy injured as drones fall from sky at Florida holiday show
A holiday drone show in Florida was forced to cancel its second performance due to an injury this weekend.
Andrea Otero, the City of Orlando...
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12:06
Armenia ballet artists perform 'The Nutcracker' in Italy
Ballet artists from the Yerevan Opera Theater have started a concert tour to Italy to perform their adaptation of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's...
Source Panorama.am
11:35
Pashinyan admits 'a big mistake' over Karabakh negotiation process
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claims the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process completely focused on its return to Azerbaijan since the...
Source Panorama.am
11:15
Drivers warned about icy roads in Armenia's Syunik
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about road closure in Armenia on Monday morning.
In particular, the road linking the Amberd high...
Source Panorama.am
11:00
Putin meets Slovak PM in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin held surprise talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the Kremlin on Sunday to discuss the future of...
Source Panorama.am
17:30
Expert blasts My Step Foundation's 'unacceptable' response to Panorama.am
Shushan Doydoyan, President of the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia (FOICA), has denounced the My Step Charitable Foundation’s...
Source Panorama.am
16:30
US avoids government shutdown with last-minute funding bill
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16:01
Barack Obama's top 10 movies of 2024 includes ‘Anora' starring Armenian actors
Barack Obama has shared his favorite movies of the year, continuing what has become an annual list-making tradition from the former...
Source Panorama.am
15:36
None of Baku's demands meets strong opposition from Pashinyan's government, MP says
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Source Panorama.am
15:00
WhatsApp wins legal case against Pegasus spyware maker
WhatsApp has prevailed against Israeli spyware maker NSO Group in a US lawsuit over NSO’s abuse of the messaging app to enable the...
Source Panorama.am
14:34
Armenian woman named Female Business Leader of the Year
Amalya Yeghoyan, Executive Director of the Gyumri Information Technologies Center (GITC), has been named the Female Business Leader of the...
Source Panorama.am
14:01
Saturday is the winter solstice and 2024's shortest day
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Source Panorama.am
13:36
Light snow expected in parts of Armenia
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Light snow is forecast for some parts of the...
Source Panorama.am
13:06
'A new level of cynicism': UJA slams My Step Foundation's response to Panorama.am
The Union of Journalists of Armenia (UJA) on Friday issued a statement denouncing the My Step Foundation’s inappropriate response to...
Source Panorama.am
12:30
Turkish FM calls for fair approach in promoting Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Ankara on Friday.
They discussed, among other...
Source Panorama.am
12:05
Ruben Vardanyan held in 'complete isolation' in Baku prison, his son says
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Source Panorama.am
11:31
Pashinyan extends birthday greetings to Macron
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to French President Emmanuel Macron on his birthday. Below...
Source Panorama.am
11:17
Armenian church commemorates St Abgar
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Saturday commemorates St Apkar (Abgar), a martyr of the church and our first Christian King....
Source Panorama.am
11:05
Magnitude 4.5 earthquake hits Artsakh, felt in Armenia
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) last night.
The quake occurred 30 km south of the town of Karvachar (Kelbajar)...
Source Panorama.am
17:06
Armenia-Azerbaijan peace efforts remain 'an area of vital importance' to Biden administration – State Dept.
The Biden administration will continue working on the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations until the last day in office, State...
Source Panorama.am
16:39
Artur Vanetsyan issues message on National Security Officer's Day
Major-General Artur Vanetsyan, the former director of Armenia's National Security Service, issued a congratulatory message on the National...
Source Panorama.am
16:13
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan to address people live on Saturday
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the Holy Struggle movement, will address the people in a Facebook live on Saturday.
“We...
Source Panorama.am
15:36
MP Hovik Aghazaryan's wife dies
The wife of former Civil Contract faction MP Hovik Aghazaryan passed away last night.
The lawmaker confirmed the news to Tert.am....
Source Panorama.am
15:07
Panorama.am calls attention to My Step Foundation's inadequate response to request for information
The costs of the Italy trip of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan, have been kept strictly secret. Moreover,...
Source Panorama.am
14:05
Dry weather expected in Armenia today
Dry weather is expected in Armenia’s regions on Friday and Saturday.
Light snow is forecast for some parts of the country...
Source Panorama.am
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