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More than 5,000 refugees from Ukraine have left Bulgaria

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Only five Ukrainian refugees traveled by train from Varna to the interior that morning. According to preliminary information, based on a survey of Ukrainians housed in the complexes around the city, between 200 and 250 people were ready to leave on May 29, 2022.

The Bulgarian institutions had set up an organization, the police had provided a corridor for the movement of refugees, four buses had been provided to transport them from Golden Sands to Varna railway station, but they arrived empty-handed. At the station, volunteers from the Bulgarian Red Cross and other organizations had provided drinks and food, as well as a children’s playground.

The idea was to move about 200-250 people today, but this morning most said they had decided not to travel but to look for accommodation themselves or go to Ukraine, Varna Regional Governor Blagomir Kotsev said. According to him, today the teams created by various departments are again going to the hotels in the complexes to find out how many people want to travel tomorrow.

In the Varna region, about 20,000 Ukrainians are accommodated in hotels, of which nearly 3,000 have already left. Seven thousand people had expressed readiness to move to the interior of our country by June 1, but at the moment the situation is clearly quite different, said Kotsev.

The district governor added that departmental bases in the Varna region can accommodate between 500 and 1,000 people and the places are reserved for the most needy among refugees.

Vyacheslav Radovanov from Odessa answered questions from the media from the Ukrainians who arrived at the station. The young man said that he was here with his grandmother. He said that he did not know exactly what the condition of the base where they were moving would be, his worries were that there would be only one pharmacy there. Radovanov did not express disappointment that he was leaving Varna, saying the trip was important to him.

Early in the morning, Mariana Tosheva, chairwoman of the State Agency for Refugees, arrived at the city’s train station. She expressed satisfaction with the established organization and thanked both the employees of the individual institutions and the volunteers. Tosheva announced that over 5,000 Ukrainian citizens have left our country in the last 24 hours. She said that the relocation of willing refugees from the sea to the interior of the country will take place in various bases, which are not reported for security reasons.

The trips will be made in stages, and the accommodation – according to the needs of the people, because among them there are many vulnerable groups, said Tosheva. According to her, the fact is taken into account that those accommodated in the individual hotels by the sea have already established their communities and the Bulgarian authorities are trying to respect their desire to stay together and where they will be relocated.

The flow of Ukrainian refugees leaving the country through the Durankulak border checkpoint is drastically increasing, said the director of the Dobrich Regional Council of the Bulgarian Red Cross, Dr. Artyun Erinozov.

On the 31st of May, from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm, 35 buses left for Romania, and only one with about 50 people entered Bulgaria, BNT reported.

For the past 24hrs, there were 38 buses leaving the country and four arriving. The number of refugees leaving by this transport is also increasing, according to the Border Police.

Data from the border checkpoints with Romania show that from May 16 to 22 there were 9,500 Ukrainians entering and 13,000 leaving, while in the last seven days 8,000 people sought refuge and 18,000 left, mainly in “Danube Bridge” and “Durankulak” border checkpoint.

There is a tendency for the arriving buses to carry 10-15 people, while on the way back they return full.

The head of the State Agency for Refugees, Mariana Tosheva, told BNR that many Ukrainians had left hotels on the Black Sea coast by bus and in their own cars.

The accommodation of refugees from Ukraine began today at the military base in the Sarafovo district of Burgas and at a temporary center in Elhovo. They will be there for several days before being transferred to state bases.

Africa: Dramatic drop forecast in COVID deaths, but no time to ‘sit back and relax’

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Africa: Dramatic drop forecast in COVID deaths, but no time to ‘sit back and relax’
COVID-19 deaths in Africa are forecast to decrease by 94 per cent this year compared to last year the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
That’s down from a “catastrophically high” average of 970 fatalities each day last year to around 60 a day by the end of 2022.

“The low number of deaths expected this year is a huge achievement for the region and a testament to the efforts of countries and partners,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti told journalists at a virtual press conference.

Despite the new WHO modelling projection compared with last year – the pandemic’s most lethal – actual cases are estimated to drop by a little over a quarter this year.

“However, the job is not yet done. Every time we sit back and relax, COVID-19 flares up again,” she cautioned.

Stay vigilant

The analysis, which was published this week in the Lancet Global Health scientific journal, finds that while the region reported 113,102 deaths through official channels last year, about one in three were missed, driving the actual number of deaths up to a projected 350,000.

The modelling suggests that if current variants and transmission dynamics remain constant, around 23,000 people are expected to die by the end of this year.

However, a variant that is 200 per cent more lethal, would cause an increase in deaths to more than 70,000.

“The threat of new variants remains real, and we need to be ready to cope with this ever-present danger,” cautioned Dr. Moeti.

Unreported cases

The study’s findings infer that only one in 71 COVID-19 cases in Africa have been recorded and projects 166. 2 million infections this year compared with the estimated 227.5 million that occurred in 2021.

The decline in cases and deaths in 2022 is due to increasing vaccinations, improved pandemic responses and natural immunity from previous infections that, while not preventing re-infections, stop severe forms of the disease leading to death. 

A deadly year

The analysis estimates that COVID-19 was the seventh major cause of death in Africa last year, just below malaria.

The significant increase last year was due to the more infectious and severe Delta variant.

Ramp up services

“We have learnt many lessons on how to stay a step ahead of the virus,” said Dr. Moeti.

As the pandemic persists, WHO maintained that it is crucial to ramp up comprehensive healthcare services, including preventive measures, treatment and vaccination for vulnerable populations.

Targeted surveillance will also be critical to monitor hospitalization, the burden of comorbidities and the emergence of new variants.

 “Now is the time to refine our response and identify populations most at-risk of COVID-19,” said the WHO official.

Countries must intensify efforts to conduct a targeted response that provides the most vulnerable people with the health services they need, including COVID-19 vaccines and effective treatment.”

Detailing deaths

COVID-19 deaths have been uneven across the African region.

High or upper middle-income countries and those in the South African Development Community (SADC) have around double the mortality rates than that of lower and lower-middle-income countries in Africa’s other economic regions.

The analysis shows that the variation in the number of deaths were driven by biological and physical factors – primarily comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, HIV, and obesity – that increase the severity and risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients.

“The divergent death rates between countries in the region emphasize the need for tailored responses,” said Dr. Moeti. “As the pandemic persists, what is clear is that our actions need to keep pace with what remains an evolving and complex situation”.

Eva Sibanda/UN Women

Rose Mary Tiep, a South Sudanese refugee in Omugo II Refugee Settlement, Uganda, translates for a fellow community member

Omicron offers ‘limited protection’ against reinfection

New data relating to the pandemic globally, released by WHO on Thursday, suggests that people who’ve been infected with the Omicron variant can expect “limited protection” against catching it again.

Latest evidence also suggests that immunity against severe COVID illness is more robust among those who’ve been infected by the coronavirus and vaccinated against it, than it is for people who’ve only been infected, or only been jabbed.

The priority for national health agencies should be to vaccinate all adults, focusing on healthcare workers, people with low immunity and older persons, WHO said.

EU Military Bishops in Brussels discuss perspectives for peace

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EU Military Bishops in Brussels discuss perspectives for peace
As part of its mission of dialogue with the EU institutions, COMECE gathered EU Military Bishops and experts of the Military Ordinariates on Wednesday 1 June 2022 to exchange on the current and emerging security challenges in Europe.

COMECE General Secretary, Fr. Barrios Prieto, together with Lt. Gen. Bart Laurent, Director of Operations, EU Military Staff. (Credit: COMECE)

Following the first meeting held in 2019, Military Ordinaries from EU Member States gathered at the COMECE Secretariat to meet with EU officials and national representatives to the EU Military Committee and discuss the challenges for the Common Security and Defence Policy.

In light of the current international context, they highlighted the EU’s specific role in promoting human security and peace. Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE, stated that “the Russian invasion of Ukraine did not only bring war to the country, but it has also questioned the entire security order in Europe and the world”.

“Inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter ‘Fratelli tutti’ – Fr. Barrios Prieto continued – COMECE promotes the vision of a new architecture of peace based on a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family”.

The EU and its Member States should engage responsibly and collaboratively on security in line with the principles of international law and ethical standards. These efforts, according to COMECE, should be embedded in an integral approach, especially in the context of the implementation of the recently adopted EU Strategic Compass.

“Since peace goes beyond security – stated the General Secretary of COMECE – a comprehensive European peace strategy should equally promote integral human development, justice and care of Creation”.

The meeting also identified ways in which Military Ordinariates can contribute to the peace-building process. Thanks to their specific mission, they remain in the field during all stages of a conflict cycle, accompanying the members of the armed forces, while being close to the needs of civilians, and fostering intercultural and interreligious ties.

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Ukraine: At least two children killed in war every day, says UNICEF

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Ukraine: At least two children killed in war every day, says UNICEF
In Ukraine, nearly 100 days since the Russian invasion, at least two children have been killed every day with many more injured, UN humanitarians said on Wednesday, the International Day for Protection of Children.
Highlighting the devastating and lasting consequences of the war on millions of the country’s youngsters, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, maintained that most of the victims were from “attacks using explosive weapons in populated areas”, a claim supported by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.

“June 1 is the International Day for Protection of Children in Ukraine and across the region,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Instead of celebrating the occasion, we are solemnly approaching June 3 – the 100th day of a war that has shattered the lives of millions of children. Without an urgent ceasefire and negotiated peace, children will continue to suffer – and fallout from the war will impact vulnerable children around the world.”

Health facilities and schools attacked

The scale and speed of the emergency in Ukraine have not been seen since World War Two, the UN agency said in a statement, which estimated that 5.2 million children there, now need humanitarian assistance; three million inside the country and more than 2.2 million in refugee-hosting countries.

As intense artillery exchanges continue between Russian and Ukrainian forces in eastern Donetsk region and amid reports that Russian troops now control much of the city of Sievierodonetsk, UNICEF said that almost two in three children in Ukraine have been displaced by fighting.

“Civilian infrastructure on which children depend continues to be damaged or destroyed,” the agency explained. “This so far includes at least 256 health facilities and one in six UNICEF-supported ‘Safe Schools’ in the country’s east. Hundreds of other schools across the country have also been damaged. Conditions for children in eastern and southern Ukraine where fighting has intensified are increasingly desperate.”

Trauma and exploitation risk

In addition to the trauma of fleeing their homes, UNICEF underscored that children fleeing violence faced a significant risk of family separation, abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking.

The long-lasting mental health toll of the war on youngsters has also contributed to an acute child protection crisis, made worse by the fact that many displaced families are out of work and unable to meet their children’s basic needs.

“These children urgently need safety, stability, child protection services, and psychosocial support – especially those who are unaccompanied or have been separated from their families. More than anything, they need peace,” UNICEF insisted, in a renewed call for a ceasefire after 99 days of fighting.

The UN agency also reiterated its call for “full humanitarian access” so that teams can “safely and quickly reach children in need wherever they may be”.

© UNICEF/Ashley Gilbertson

A ten-year-old boy walks in the courtyard in front of his family’s apartment in central Chernihiv, Ukraine, which was destroyed in an air strike.

Millions helped

Inside Ukraine, UNICEF and partners have already distributed life-saving health and medical supplies for nearly 2.1 million people in war-affected areas.

Equally important, critical safe water access has also been secured for more than 2.1 million people living in areas where networks have been damaged or destroyed.

Over 610,000 children and caregivers have also received mental health and psychosocial support, while nearly 290,000 children have been given learning supplies.

In addition, almost 300,000 vulnerable families have registered for a humanitarian cash assistance programme run by UNICEF and the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy.

In countries hosting Ukrainian refugees, the UN agency continues to look out for the most vulnerable youngsters by providing anti-trafficking training for border guards and encouraging local authorities to integrate refugee children into schools.

Providing vaccines and medical supplies for displaced Ukrainians is a key component of UNICEF’s response, and so too is establishing play and learning hubs to provide young children with a much-needed sense of normalcy and respite.

In total, 25 UNICEF-UNHCR “Blue Dots” – one-stop safe havens that provide support and services for families on the move, have been established along major transit routes in Moldova, Romania, Poland, Italy, Bulgaria and Slovakia, the agency said.

In Moldova, moreover, more than 52,000 refugees, mostly in female-headed households, have been reached through a UNICEF-UNHCR multi-purpose cash assistance programme.To support this essential humanitarian work, UNICEF needs $950 million.

Fighting escalates in eastern Ukraine as US pledges to send rocket systems – Vatican News

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Despite fierce resistance, Russia’s military continues to inch out gains in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Moscow over strikes on a chemical plant in the eastern city of Severodonetsk. Those in the town have been warned not to leave bomb shelters and urged to prepare masks to protect against toxic fumes.

Elsewhere in the Donbas region, human suffering continues as well.

In Slovyansk, residents are desperate after at least three people were killed and six injured in a Russian missile strike on this eastern city. “I feel devastated. Where did all this come from and until when,” a crying woman said in her destroyed apartment. “We were living very well, quietly, calmly. And now what is this?” she wonders. “Where am I with all these things now?”

Another woman tearfully agrees. “Okay, we can deal with all this destruction. But life, human life, human life, how?”

But the death toll keeps rising as Russian forces continue further into Ukraine’s industrial heartland after facing initial defeats elsewhere in the country.

In response, the United States is rushing to send advanced rocket artillery systems. US President Joe Biden said the goal was to help Ukraine defend itself.

Agreement not to target Russian territory

However, President Biden earlier said that Washington was not encouraging Ukraine to strike beyond its borders. “We’re not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia,” Biden told reporters.

But Russia isn’t convinced. In another sign of mounting East-West tensions, Russia’s nuclear forces reportedly began holding drills in the Ivanovo province, northeast of Moscow.

Russia’s Interfax news agency cited the Russian defense ministry as saying Wednesday that some 1,000 servicemen are exercising in intense maneuvers.

The ministry said they use over 100 vehicles, including Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers.

The drills are held as NATO considers a bid from Sweden and Finland to join the Western military alliance.

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Over one billion methamphetamine tablets seized in East and Southeast Asia

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one billion methamphetamine tablets seized in East and Southeast Asia
one billion methamphetamine tablets seized in East and Southeast Asia

UNODC report: over one billion methamphetamine tablets were seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2021 as the regional drug trade continues to expand

Bangkok (Thailand), 2 June 2022 –A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warns that the synthetic drug trade continues to expand in East and Southeast Asia, with production and trafficking hitting record levels in 2021.

The report “Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: latest developments and challenges 2022” confirms that extreme volumes of methamphetamine are being produced, trafficked and used in the region and that the synthetic drug trade continues to diversify.

“Organized crime syndicates and armed groups have exploited the pandemic and political instability in the Golden Triangle and border areas of Myanmar to expand production the past year,” remarked Jeremy Douglas, UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, referring to the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. “There are very few drug labs found in the region outside the Triangle anymore, the supply continues to surge, and governments and agencies continue to report the same source.”

Lao PDR has become a major transshipment point for trafficking into Thailand and other parts of the Mekong and Asia Pacific, and Malaysia has also been used extensively for transit and trafficking to Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Douglas added that “the scale and reach of the methamphetamine and synthetic drug trade in East and Southeast Asia is staggering, and yet it can continue to expand if the region does not change approach and address the root causes that have allowed it to get to this point, including governance in the Golden Triangle and market demand.

“Organized crime have all the ingredients in-place that they need to continue to grow the business, including territory to produce, access to chemicals, established trafficking routes and relationships to move product, and a massive population with spending power to target,” Douglas continued.

A record amount of methamphetamine – nearly 172 tons – was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2021, with over 1 billion methamphetamine tablets recorded for the first time. The total is seven times higher than it was 10 years ago, when just more than 143 million tablets were seized, and over thirty-five times higher than it was close to 20 years ago.  Nearly 79 tons of crystal methamphetamine was also seized in 2021– approximately eight times the 10 tons seized a decade ago.

The supply of Golden Triangle methamphetamine also expanded further into South Asia in 2021. Crystal methamphetamine in distinct Golden Triangle packaging and tablets were increasingly seized in northeastern India, in a pattern similar to Bangladesh a few years ago.

The price of both tablet and crystal methamphetamine also continues to drop across Southeast Asia. Malaysia and Thailand have reported that wholesale and street prices had decreased to all-time lows in 2021 as the supply surged. “The drop in the price of crystal methamphetamine is particularly concerning, as it has become much more accessible and available to those that could not afford it before. The social consequences of increased use are significant, and health and harm reduction services remain limited across the region,” observed Kavinvadee Suppapongtevasakul, UNODC regional synthetic drugs analyst for the Global SMART Programme.  

Although methamphetamine is the primary concern of authorities across the region, other synthetic drugs which can pose significant harm to drug users are also widely available, notably ketamine.

“Addressing the methamphetamine situation is a top priority for the Government of Thailand and the region, but other synthetic drugs and combinations of drugs have emerged in recent years and early warning is more important than ever,” noted Thanakorn Kaiyanunta, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand. “We are working with UNODC and international and regional partners to update our laws and policies, develop important forensic, data and operational capacities, and address priorities including chemical trafficking.”

UNODC is working closely with countries in East and Southeast Asia through the Global SMART Programme and the Mekong Memorandum of Understanding on Drug Control to monitor the drug situation; provide advice on cooperation, detection, precursor chemical control and public health strategies; and help countries collaborate on joint and cross-border operations.

Further information

UNODC works with governments and regional partners to address the challenges related to drugs and precursor chemicals in Southeast Asia. Click here to learn more.

A little embarrassment for Queen Letizia

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She put on a dress for the ceremony and it turned out that she was not the only one who chose this

Queen Letizia of Spain has a great sense of style and humor. Seeing at a public event a woman in exactly the same dress as hers, Her Majesty laughed and came to hug the “competitor”.

For every fashionista to see one of the guests of a public event in the same outfit as you, like a terrible fashion failure, but not for the Spanish queen.

King Philip’s wife attended a meeting of the Royal Council for the Disabled, where she arrived in a black and white midi dress with a belt from the Mango brand worth $75. In exactly the same dress was one of the guests of the event.

Seeing this, Queen Letizia laughed, and the two women embraced tightly.

Earlier, the Spanish queen showed support for the Ukrainians by wearing an embroidered shirt, which was sewn by a woman from Ivano-Frankivsk.

Recall that Queen Letizia is known for her exquisite sense of style, however, in addition to expensive designer outfits, Her Majesty often wears clothes of democratic brands. She also sometimes appears in public in vintage dresses or suits that once belonged to her mother-in-law Queen Sofia.

At the bottom of the shallow Tigris River, an ancient city appeared and drowned again

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In the Mosul Reservoir, which has become shallow due to drought, an ancient city of 3.4 thousand years old has surfaced for the second time in the last three years. After some time, he again went under water, but archaeologists studied the territory, found artifacts and protected the fortress walls from the advancing water.

The Mosul reservoir is located on the Tigris River in northern Iraq. Scientists suggest that under it are the ruins of the ancient city of Zahiku, one of the centers of the Mitanni state. It is mentioned in the annals, but without specifying a specific location. Presumably, Zahiku was destroyed by an earthquake around 1350 BC.

First of all, archaeologists made a map of the city. A palace had already been applied to it – it was discovered during the last ascent.

Now several more large buildings have appeared on the map: a fortress wall with towers, an industrial complex and a multi-storey warehouse. Dozens of different goods from Egypt and neighboring regions were found in it.

It is possible that trade routes crossed in Zahika at the crossing of the Tigris. Control over it could lead the city to prosperity – merchants, warriors, and travelers had to cross the full-flowing river.

The mud-brick walls of the buildings are well preserved, given that they were flooded about 40 years ago.

Of the interesting artifacts, five ceramic vessels with hundreds of cuneiform tablets were found in Zahiku. They were dated to the XIV-XI centuries BC. Experts are already busy deciphering.

When the water began to rise, the archaeologists covered the surveyed buildings with plastic sheeting. It fits snugly against the ruins of the walls and should keep the unbaked clay from moisture. Today, Zahiku is completely flooded again.

Scythian gold: the archaeologist shared the details of the discovery of mysterious jewelry

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It is believed that the most perfect artistic Scythian things are the works of Greek jewelers commissioned by the Scythians, taking into account the spiritual needs of the latter.

The Scythian sword decorated with a golden handle was found only during the control cleaning of the catacomb, which seemed to have been plundered the day before. A golden pendant in the shape of a goddess’s head was found in the last clods of earth at the exit from the mound. Vitaliy Otroshchenko, who at one time was a participant in the excavations of the Kerch, Kakhovka and Zaporozhye expeditions, spoke about the details of his archaeological activities in the 70s and the secrets of the Scythian gold in an interview with Suspіlny.

One of the versions says that the aforementioned decoration depicts Demeter, there are holes for fixing behind the tiny decoration. Therefore, jewelers assume that the golden goddess is part of a necklace or breastplate. Found in one of the Great Belozersky mounds of the Zaporozhye region, dates back to the 4th century BC. e.

“The necklace, most likely, was taken by the robbers, and this head fell out. It is believed that the most perfect artistic Scythian things are the works of Greek jewelers commissioned by the Scythians, taking into account the spiritual needs of the latter,” Otroshchenko reveals the details of one of the finds.

Another interesting specimen is a blue-and-gold decoration for a horse with a hunting scene typical of the Scythians depicted on it. It comes from a mound near the village of Gyunovka. The decoration dates from about the 3rd-4th centuries BC. This conclusion was made by analyzing the style of performance – openwork. This is how it was common in the region at that time.

In the Soviet period, the combination of blue and yellow did not suit museum workers from an ideological point of view, so the substrate was made black. However, today, during its reconstruction, they returned to the authentic color.

Photo: A niche with dishes for wine, an archaeologist is clearing a mound near Velikaya Znamenka / from the archive of Vitaly Otroshchenko

Turkey accuses Greece of failing to preserve Ottoman cultural heritage

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Following allegations of damage to Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine-era monument in Istanbul that was turned into a mosque by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has accused Greece of ill-treating the Ottoman Empire’s cultural heritage.

Following allegations of damage to Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine-era monument in Istanbul that was turned into a mosque by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has accused Greece of ill-treating the Ottoman Empire’s cultural heritage, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported.

The fact that those who are supposed to be upset by (the damage to) Hagia Sophia did not oppose the destruction of mosques in Greece, (monuments of) cultural heritage dating back to the 16th century, which have been turned into cinemas , exhibition spaces, hotels and warehouses, is too serious and speaks of hypocrisy “, wrote the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey on Twitter

“The Greek administration, which refuses to even provide graves to Muslims after they die, is trying to deceive its own people with gross delusions … You cannot cover the sun with mud,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

We remind you that on April 18, damage was found on the Imperial Gate of the thousand-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It was turned into a mosque in 2020, having previously functioned as a museum.