E. VENIZELOS: It is always a great pleasure and honor to meet with His Beatitude and discuss the vast apostolic and social work being done by the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Egypt and throughout the African continent.
In reality, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, His Beatitude, the holy fathers, the clergy, the institutions that exist in all the countries of the African continent are a presence not just of Christian Orthodoxy, but also of Hellenism.
Of course, today our talks focussed on the deep crisis in Egypt, the prevailing situation, the dangers that exist. I am happy that the Patriarchate of Alexandria, all of the churches, all of the institutions are completely secure. There is complete respect for Orthodoxy, for our Greek Orthodox clergy, for the Patriarch personally.
We have close cooperation with the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and we will deepen that cooperation in all sectors, because we see the Patriarchate of Alexandria as our front-line outpost on the African continent.
I would like to take the opportunity of His Beatitude’s presence here to send a message of concern, friendship and support to the Egyptian people. Greece and Egypt are linked by close historical and cultural ties. Egypt is a key country in the developments in our wider region, and Egypt is a pivotal point for our foreign policy.
We are monitoring the developments in Egypt closely and with concern. The escalation of violence may lead to destabilization, and that is why our urgent hope is that the situation stabilize, that the violence subside, and that then, without outside intervention, Egypt can continue on the path of democracy, the path to restoration of democratic institutions and processes at the soonest possible time, through a return to the operation of the Constitution, leading the country to free parliamentary and presidential elections, with any kind of conflict being avoided, and, of course, with the free will of the Egyptian people.
That is our hope and concern.
PATRIARCH THEODOROS II OF ALEXANDRIA: My President, I too would like to express great gratitude. I arrived here from Egypt with great concern, with great pain in my heart. I am living through these events each day, walking outside the Patriarchate, going to the monasteries, phoning and contacting all the Greeks living n Egypt to give them courage and strength.
I came to my homeland, I came here to you, to express my very great thanks. Soon I will be returning to tell Hellenism, the Arabs, our Muslim brothers there whom I meet every day, simply and humbly that Greece is standing by us.
The Egyptian people are a people who adore us, just hearing the word Yunana (Greek). Since Alexander the Great, the Greek has been close to us with great respect. I want to thank you for your love, for our great apostolic work throughout Africa, the continent of the future.
I call Egypt “the door to Africa,” and it is a vast country that will play a major role, and I thank you for your thoughts, because things must proceed democratically, because the Libyan Sea joins us, rather than separating us.
And you of the Foreign Ministry have my heartfelt thanks.
E. VENIZELOS: Thank you.
July 9, 2013