US Helps Restore Orthodox Church in Turkey After Earthquake
US Deputy Chief of Mission in Turkey Alice Abdalla visited Hatay province, where she reviewed the progress of restoration work on monuments damaged by the devastating earthquake in February 2023. As reported by the Czech editorial office of the SPJ, one of the sites visited was the Greek Orthodox church in Antioch (modern-day Antakya).
Stabilization and restoration work is being carried out by Turkey's ministries of culture and tourism, as well as the ministry of environment, with support from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation and the World Monuments Fund.
According to Abdalla, the scale of the destruction made a strong impression on her during her personal visit. US support is also directed toward the restoration of the Church of Saint Paul.
The diplomat also described the relationship between the US and Turkey as "exceptionally strong," emphasizing the two countries' cooperation in the field of cultural heritage preservation and the return of illegally exported historical artifacts to Turkey.
As the SPJ previously reported, Erdogan had earlier stated that Hagia Sophia was returned to the Islamic world.
