Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos met in Thessaloniki on Sunday, 19 October, with His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej, who is visiting Thessaloniki and Mount Athos.
During the meeting, Mr. Venizelos and His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia referred to the excellent Greek-Serbian relations, developments in the wider region of the Western Balkans, with special reference to the ecclesiastical situation in FYROM and the protection of Christian monuments in Kosovo, and the role that the Church and ecclesiastical diplomacy can play in better understanding and cooperation amongst the peoples of Southeast Europe. Special mention was made of the upcoming Great Synod of Orthodoxy, over which His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will preside in 2016, in Istanbul.
Finally, the Patriarch of Serbia referred to the close ties between Greece and Serbia, which are strengthened by the common spiritual relationship with the Church, and he thanked the Greek people and the Greek authorities for the warm welcome and warm hospitality during his stay.
October 20, 2014