Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the agreement with Egypt as a “historic milestone” that strengthens the legal standing of the Sinai Monastery and safeguards its Greek Orthodox character in perpetuity, during a telephone call with Archbishop Symeon of Sinai, Pharan and Raitho.
The prime minister congratulated the archbishop and expressed his support, on behalf of all Greeks, for the decisions taken by the Holy Monastery.
He made particular mention of the joint position taken by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Church of Cyprus and the Church of Greece. This, he said, sends “a strong and clear message of unity among Greeks worldwide, as well as within Eastern Orthodoxy”.
Mr Mitsotakis also noted that the development confirms what Greeks can achieve when they unite and work methodically.
During their call, the prime minister and the Archbishop of Sinai also discussed the personal interest shown in the issue by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, as well as the enduring relationship between the Egyptian people and the Holy Monastery of Sinai.