Turkey reopens historic Bulgarian church in Istanbul

By Nilay Kar Onum and Burcu Arik

ISTANBUL (AA) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reopened on Sunday the historic Bulgarian church in Istanbul following major restoration work.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Erdogan said reopening of the Iron Church was an important message for the international community.

"It is the responsibility of the state to ensure everyone can worship freely," he said, adding that Turkey has supported the restoration of more than 5,000 artifacts in the past 15 years.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called reopening of the church “the best example” of religious tolerance that Turkey had exhibited towards other religions.

“I hope this message will be heard and understood properly,” he said.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who also attended the ceremony, said that efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and the EU in 2018 were needed.

Bulgaria took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU as of Jan 1.

The orthodox church, also known as St. Stephen Church, is located in the historic Balat neighborhood on the shore of the city’s Golden Horn.

It had been undergoing major restoration works for the last seven years, in a project co-funded by the Istanbul metropolitan municipality and the Bulgarian government.

It was built in 1898 from prefabricated cast iron elements after its former wooden structure caught fire.