NNA – Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Youhanna Yazigi X, currently in Cyprus, met with Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, for talks on the general situation in the region and the present conditions of Christians in the Middle East.
Patriarch Youhanna X sounded the President on his Cyprus’s stance on regional events, including the Syrian crisis.
Youhanna X emphasized the necessity of preserving Lebanon’s stability and ending the longstanding presidential vacuum.
The Cypriot President underlined the need for finding a peaceful, political solution to the Syrian crisis, affirming the deeply entrenched relations between Cyprus and Syria.
Patriarch Youhanna X, for his part, stressed “the importance of the relationship with the Cypriot people and the unity of Cyprus”, underlining the paramount importance of coexistence amongst the various faiths and religions in the Middle East, and the renouncement of terrorism and extremism.
Patriarch Youhanna X also spoke about the issue of the kidnapped Aleppo archbishops Youhanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi, calling for the need of serious work in this dossier amidst international silence.
The senior Archbishop also stressed the need to lift the unjust economic unjust siege and other economic sanctions endured by the Syrian people in their livelihood and means of survival.
