The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday said it regretted that a Turkish court did not take its concerns into account when ruling that Istanbul's Hagia Sophia being a museum was unlawful, the TASS news agency reported.

It said the decision could lead to even greater divisions.

A Turkish court said on Friday it annulled a 1934 government decree turning Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a museum, ruling it was unlawful, paving the way for the building’s conversion back into mosque despite international warnings against such a move.