Russian Patriarch Alexy II Visits Estonia
Published:
26 September 2003 y., Friday
Russian Patriarch Alexy II arrived Thursday for a five-day visit, his first since a bitter dispute over the status of the faithful in the republic threatened to split Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Estonians also see Alexy's visit as a signal from the Kremlin that it wants to improve relations. The nation of 1.4 million people has sparred with Moscow over several issues since it regained independence amid the 1991 Soviet collapse.
"It's not just any old trip. It is, I would say, a kind of step toward the normalization of Estonian-Russian relations," said Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Estonian parliament's foreign relations committee.
Alexy is uniquely positioned to carry a goodwill message, and not only because he's viewed as an emissary of the Russian government. He was born in Estonia in 1929, went to school here and reportedly speaks fluent Estonian.
Šaltinis:
AP
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
On 26 November, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas delivered a lecture “The New NATO Strategic Concept: Lithuania’s Vision” to the participants of Higher Command Studies Course of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL).
more »
On 25 November at the European Information Bureau of the Seimas, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas took part in the round table discussion “Climate Change: from Kyoto to Copenhagen” and spoke about Lithuania’s contribution to combating climate change.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė goes for a working visit to Ukraine to attend a session of the Council of Presidents of the Republic of Lithuania and Ukraine and to meet with Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko.
more »
Today, November 26, meeting of the Baltic Chiefs of Defence will begin in General Adolfas Ramanauskas Warfare Training Centre in Nemenčinė (Vilnius distr.).
more »
November 24, Defence Attachés accredited to Lithuania met at MoND to address international defence cooperation of Lithuania, activities and plans of the Lithuanian-led Chaghcharan PRT.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations to President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia on the occasion of national holiday.
more »
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the collapse of communism in Europe and the end of the Cold War.
more »
Today Lithuania‘s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas is starting his official visit to Armenia where he will meet with the highest ranking officials of the state, as well as with the representatives of the international organizations and local authorities.
more »
On 20 November, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas congratulated Catherine Ashton who had just been elected as European Union‘s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
more »
On 20 November, Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Lithuanian business confederation | ICC Lithuania will host a seminar “Business in sub-Saharan Africa: Possibilities and Challenges”.
more »