Deputy Foreign Minister Kyriakos Gerontopoulos met on the afternoon of Thursday, 31 October, with Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus at the headquarters of the Holy Archdiocese. They discussed issues concerning the Church, Hellenes abroad, and Orthodoxy in the countries of the Middle East.
Following their meeting, Mr. Gerontopoulos made the following statement: “I came to obtain the blessing and advice of His Beatitude, because he is very experienced, and at the same time I thanked him for the work he does for Orthodoxy and Hellenism. Christianity and Orthodoxy are the religion of love, uniting rather than dividing people. This is the message we have to send, thus helping the all the people of this sensitive region to live in peace, regardless of their name for God. His advice is very useful to me, because things are going to get much more difficult, and that is why I want to express my gratitude once again.”
Archbishop Chrysostomos stated that “it is with great pleasure that we received the Deputy Foreign Ministry at the Archdiocese, and we exchanged a number of views on the Church, Orthodoxy, Hellenism abroad – issues within his competency. We are prepared to help in any way we can and contribute to the finding of solutions for the problems that exist.
I am pleased because I believe that the Deputy Foreign Minister has understood the meaning of the good work of Orthodoxy in the Middle East. So it must remain in the Middle East, it must coexist with the Muslims here in the countries of the Middle East, as it has coexisted for many centuries. We have 14 centuries of coexistence with the Arabs, and a golden mean must be found for the continuation of this beautiful tradition and coexistence in the countries of the Middle East and Africa.”
Mr. Gerontopoulos also met with the President of the Cypriot House of Representatives, Yiannakis Omirou. During their meeting, they noted the unbreakable ties and excellent cooperation between Greece and Cyprus, particularly in the difficult economic circumstances the two countries are experiencing.
Earlier, Mr. Gerontopoulos laid a wreath at the Tomb of Makedonitissa, paying his respects to those who fell during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
November 1, 2013