Metropolitan Kirill has a working meeting with Mr. Igor Ivanov

METROPOLITAN KIRILL HAS A WORKING MEETING WITH MR. IGOR IVANOV

On April 17, 2000, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, DECR chairman, had a working meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Mr. L. Slutsky, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs. Participating in the meeting were also executive staff members of the DECR and the Russian Foreign Ministry. They discussed a wide range of issues involved in cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Foreign Ministry, including support and protection of compatriots abroad.

In this context, they discussed, in particular, the situation of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate ( EOC MP). Hope was expressed that the EOC MP Statute would soon be registered and conditions would be created for her to work without hindrance. The Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate unites dozens of thousands of Orthodox believers in Estonia among whom there are many Russian-speaking people living in the country. Negotiations concerning the legalization of her status have continued since 1993.

See also:

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate