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On February 9, 2016, a Christmas dinner took place at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ House of Receptions. It was attended from the church side by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR), Archpriest Nikolay Balashov and Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairmen, Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for the far abroad, Hieromonk Stephan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, and Rev. Dimitry Safonov, DECR head of the DECR section for interreligious contacts.

From the MFA there were G. Karasin, state secretary, deputy minister of foreign affairs, O. Vasnetsov, director of the department for relations with the Federation’s constituent regions, parliaments and public associations (DPPA), V. Sorokin, director of the Second Department for the CIS Countries, R. Romanov, appointed ambassador of Russia to Luxemburg, M. Melekh, DPPA fist secretary, and I. Korostelev, DPPA third secretary.

The discussion during the dinner, which took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, concerned various aspects of cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the end of the festive event, Metropolitan Hilarion and G. Karasin exchanged tokens of the meeting. The DECR chairman also presented other ministerial participants in the dinner with gifts.

DECR Communication Service