The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Markos Bolaris, who visited the Sacred Monastery of Mount Sinai, went to Saint Catherine’s Monastery for the first time.
The Deputy Minister, accompanied by the Consul General of Greece in Cairo, Mr. Georgios Daskalopoulos and the Greek diplomat, Mr. Panagiotis Partsos, visited the Monastery on Old Calendar’s New Year’s Day.
The monks of Saint Catherine’s Monastery referred to “a day of double celebration” and gave warm greetings from the Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, Mr. Damianos.
Mr. Bolaris thanked Fr. Symeon of the Sacred Monastery for the services they carry out and for “holding the line in Thermopylae”, and said that they have the support of the Greek State.
Mr. Bolaris had also the chance to meet the Bedouins of the Sacred Monastery and to discuss with the mayor of the city of Saint Catherine.
The Deputy Minister was showed around the Monastery and its unique, now renovated, historical library. The Monastery’s librarian, Father Justin, presented him the unique manuscripts of the library.
On Sunday evening, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met the Major General Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai.
The two men, among other things, talked about the imminent twinning of the cities Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt and Heraklion, Crete.