"There, [at the EU meeting] Greece will ask the European Union to draw up a list of the stringiest possible measures against Turkey in case it violates the sovereign rights of Greece", Dendias said in the interview.

The top diplomat went on to say that Greece's mediation in the debate was not enough and that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the UN must show initiative.

"The danger is that we reflect on the issue of Hagia Sophia from the angle of the Greek-Turkish relationship, while it is a global one. It is the issue of neglecting the rules and disrespecting the world community", Dendias stated.

The minister noted that Ankara's decision on Hagia Sophia was another provocative action against Greece and other countries in the region, and the fact that Turkey did not show any spirit of cooperation to comply with international law should not be ignored.

"My thoughts go to Istanbul. I'm thinking about Hagia Sophia. I am very distressed," the pontiff said, in the Vatican's first reaction to the decision taken by the Turkish authorities. The brief remark made during a Sunday prayer marking the International Day of the Sea saw the Pope add his voice to the growing chorus from other Christian churches worldwide that have expressed concern over the move.

Earlier, the World Council of Churches, a Geneva-based organization comprising numerous Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican institutions, expressed "grief and dismay" over the development, adding that Hagia Sophia had, until now, been "a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations."

"We made a decision to change the status of the Hagia Sophia, based on the opinion of our people and not those who say things about us", Erdogan stated during an appearance on Turkey's NTV broadcaster.

During his television appearance, Erdogan added that the country will continue to "take the right path, in order to build a mighty and strong Turkey".

Speaking to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, he stressed that "opening up Hagia Sophia to worship doesn't keep local or foreign tourists from visiting the site", and that Turkey would preserve the unique Christian icons and mosaic images of Jesus Christ in the building.

Kalin, however, did not elaborate on the matter, further, fuelling concerns about the future of these Christian shrines following the Turkish president's decree earlier on Friday to convert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

This was preceded by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk from the Russian Orthodox Church warning last week that the temple's "miraculously spared" mosaics will most likely be damaged if Ankara makes the conversion decision.

In an interview with Russia's Rossiya 24 news outlet, he said that he would like to know about "the fate of these mosaics" and "how this building will function if it is turned into a mosque again".

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who said that Athens "categorically condemns Turkey's decision to convert Hagia Sophia to a mosque" and that "this decision, taken 85 years after Hagia Sophia was declared a museum, is an affront to its ecumenical character".

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