ISTANBUL (ANA-MPA/M. Zacharaki) – [Photos: Nicholas Papachristou/ EP Press Office]
A joint message advocating peace and the unity of the international community was conveyed to the Athens–Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) by the Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, together with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking from the Phanar, the Seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew welcomed Zelenskyy to the Patriarchal Office, where they met for an hour and a half.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s support for peace efforts, as well as his unwavering concern for the thousands of children abducted from Ukraine, for whom he prayed that they would soon return and be reunited with their families. In exclusive statements to ANA-MPA and journalist Maria Zacharaki, Patriarch Bartholomew stressed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate always prays for the prevalence of peace and supports negotiations for the peaceful resolution of all conflicts. He also noted that we stand with our fellow human beings who are suffering in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and anywhere else in the world.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told ANA-MPA, that his country remains steadfast in its pursuit of a just peace. He also said that every action taken is for the protection of the Ukrainian people and the restoration of their sovereignty. Zelenskyy noted that the unity of the world is our strength, and together we will ensure that freedom prevails over aggression. Regarding the possibility of new peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, Zelenskyy noted that it was one of the topics he discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their earlier meeting, as it is essential for negotiations to continue.
The meeting between Patriarch Bartholomew and Volodymyr Zelenskyy was attended, on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate by His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel Geron of Chalcedon, Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios and Director of the Patriarchal Office, and Third Deacon Epiphanius of Ukrainian origin; and as members of the Ukrainian delegation, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Ankara Nariman Dzhelialov, Ukraine’s Consul General in Istanbul Roman Nedilskyi, officials from the Presidency, and other dignitaries.
