The possibilities for co-operation in the reconstruction of areas where Christian populations have been inhabited for centuries and/or are cradle of civilization, in countries plagued with war and terrorist attacks, were the focus of the meeting between Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Bolaris and the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, former Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Kansas, Samuel Dale Brownback, accompanied by US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt.
According to diplomatic sources, Brownback is on a visit to our country, which, as he pointed out, aims to create US ties with the Orthodox Christian world. This initiative of the State Department aims to encourage the co-operation among the countries that are interested in securing religious populations and eliminating religious persecution, and is part of the political choice of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to strengthen US role in these sectors. Deputy Minister Bolaris welcomed this initiative.
During the meeting, they exchanged views on the situation of Christians in the Middle East countries, the difficult conditions facing the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Antioch for the care of their flock and the viability of their operation, as well as the pressures experienced by the Syrian- Orthodox, the Assyrian people, and the Yazidis. In this regard, possibilities for cooperation to help them have been identified. The latest developments in topical ecclesiastical issues in Europe and America, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, were also discussed.