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On 24 November 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with UK Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia, Ms. Anne Pringle. The meeting took place at the Patriarch’s working resident, Chisty side-street, Moscow.

While greeting the UK Ambassador, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said, “I thank you for an opportunity of a dialogue with you, and through you with the Government of Her Majesty. I attach great importance to these contacts as the relationship between our country are history-long and are very important to the life of Europe and the entire world. Our humanitarian ties are consolidating. Certainly, our contacts are important also because there are parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain where many Orthodox Christians live.”

Ms. Anne Pringle greeted His Holiness with his birthday and thanked him for his positive assessment of the development of relations between the two countries. She underscored that the relations have become more intensive and are maintained on a new level. I am especially happy with the dialogue between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown,” she said.

It was noted that the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk has recently visited Great Britain and took part in the Conference of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation that took place at Windsor Castle.

Taking part in the meeting were the second secretary of the UK Embassy to Russia;, DECR MP deputy chairman hieromonk Philipp (Ryabykh), and the DECR acting secretary for far-abroad countries Rev. Sergy Zvonarev.