“Your Beatitude, thank you.
We have a very difficult week ahead of us. On Monday I will be travelling to Benghazi in eastern Libya for the opening of our Consulate there. There are Greeks there, and we saw them on our trip with the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister carried out a very good visit to Libya. He was able to restore the communication channels that had previously been interrupted. Things are returning to normal, which is good for them. Because what we stand for is also in their own interest. It is a country that wants to become a state again and for foreign forces to leave from there. What could be more reasonable?
And of course, on Wednesday I will be going to Ankara. As long as Turkey maintains a good conduct, I will go, and I would hope for common ground to be re-established there as well. I am not overly optimistic, but at least we should be able to speak, within a reasonable and legal framework of course. Because if our talks are to be held within an arbitrary framework, there is no need for us to talk.
And of course, I make no secret that before I go to Ankara, I will be going to Istanbul, where I will pay a visit to the Phanar to pray and see the Patriarch”.
Following the meeting, Mr. Dendias made the following statement:
“It was a great pleasure and honour to be received by His Beatitude the Archbishop and to brief him on the broader issues, national issues, handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is always a great pleasure, a personal pleasure for me, to meet His Beatitude and have a sincere conversation with him. As I think everyone knows, His Beatitude and the Church of Greece in general have a keen interest in our national issues.
Your Beatitude, thank you very much for this opportunity”.
