Yesterday, Deputy Minister Konstantinos Vlasis attended the second online meeting of the states participating in the forum of the International Alliance for the promotion of Religious Freedom of Belief.
The Deputy Minister thanked the United States for the invitation extended to Greece to join 30 other countries as a member of the Alliance, demonstrating that our country is part of the core of countries pursuing and ensuring the protection of religious freedoms and safeguarding the rights of individuals.
In his statement, Mr Vlasis referred to the pivotal role played by the Primeval Greek Orthodox Patriarchates in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the challenges currently facing the Greek Orthodox communities living there. He further stressed that Greece, as a factor of stability in the wider region of the Southeastern Mediterranean, undertakes initiatives to promote peaceful co-existence and to create the conditions for safe and free expression. There was also mentioning of Greece’s membership in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and our country's recent adoption of the official definition of antisemitism. More specifically, given that Greece is to assume the Presidency of the Alliance in 2021, a number of cultural and educational actions are being planned, aiming to raise public awareness with respect to xenophobia, antisemitism, racism and discrimination of any kind.
The Deputy Minister then made reference to Turkey's conduct regarding issues of respect for religious freedoms, repeating the long-standing requests for the recognition of the ecumenical nature of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and for the re-opening of the Theological School of Halki. He also called upon Turkey to honour its international obligations and reconsider its decision to convert the Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora into places of Muslim worship.
In closing, Mr Vlasis briefed his counterparts on the recent opening of the Mosque of Athens, a highly symbolic gesture, affirming the fact that Greece is taking initiatives that actively reinforce religious pluralism.
November 18, 2020