Minister Selakovic and Patriarch Kirill: Relations between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church are key to the relations between Serbia and Russia

Minister Selakovic and Patriarch Kirill discussed, among other things, the Serbian Patriarch Irinej of blessed repose and his merits for strengthening the ties between the Serbian and Russian Orthodox Churches.

Patriarch Kirill stated that the relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church were important and decisive when it comes to the overall relations between our states.

Minister Selakovic conveyed the greetings from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Patriarch Kirill, as a great friend of the Serbian people and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

"Our Patriarch Irinej of blessed repose and President Vucic established a completely new level of unity of our state and church, and our newly-enthroned Patriarch Porfirije continued on the path that Patriarch Irinej had embarked on", Selakovic said.

According to him, our two sister Orthodox churches were also a factor that seriously contributed to the closeness of the two states and peoples.

Minister Selakovic used this opportunity as well to reiterate gratitude to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian state for their help during the coronavirus pandemic, noting that close and friendly relations between Presidents Vucic and Putin had certainly contributed, not only to the arrival of Russian experts at the beginning of the epidemic and to Sputnik V vaccine deliveries, but also to the fact that the production of Sputnik V vaccines had started in Belgrade.