The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Meets Palestinian Ambassador Bakir Abdel Munem

On 3 May 2006 in the Patriarch’s working residence in Chisty Pereulok St there was a meeting of His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine Mr. Bakir Abdel Munem. His Holiness greeted his guest on the start of his diplomatic mission in Moscow. Having noticed that the relationships between Palestine and the Russian Federation were good, His Holiness Alexy expressed his hope that the situation would be preserved in the future too.

His Holiness told the Ambassador about his meeting with the head of the Palestinian Autonomy Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, when he expressed the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for the Palestinian people desire for unity, as well as about his talk with representatives of the HAMAS, a winner party of the Palestinian parliamentary elections. Building of a peaceful and independent Palestinian state is a task for all Palestinians, His Holiness noted.

His Holiness also noted links between Russia and Palestine were centuries old. Russian pilgrims had been going there as pilgrims for centuries. Having witnessed that peace in the Holy Land required continuous and perpetual work, His Holiness the Patriarch underlined that easy admission of believers to the Holy Sites had to become a vital component of the process.

‘We hope that our believers coming to the Holy Site located in Palestine, are given possibilities to achieve their religious aims’, His Holiness the Patriarch. He also reminded that the Russian Church had built a pilgrims’ hotel in Bethlehem for the worshipers coming to honor the place where our Savior was born.

In his turn, the Palestinian Ambassador thanked His Holiness for good wishes and expressed his hope for broadening and strengthening relations between Palestine and Russia.