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
Evacuees are allowed briefly back to their homes inside the Fukushima Daiichi exclusion zone to collect belongings.
more »
A Chilean base-jumper soars off a cliff in the Andes on a motorbike before opening his parachute.
more »
China's largest unmanned helicopter reports successful maiden flight.
more »
How certain was the U.S. Navy Seal team that it was Osama Bin Laden they shot, killed and buried at sea? According to a Florida company that makes biometric identification equipment, there's no doubt the Seals got their man.
more »
Emissions and noise-free, the world's first electric trash carts are hitting the streets of France, powered by Franco-American technology.
more »
U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon says he has seen no evidence that Pakistan was aware Osama bin Laden was living in a compound in the country.
more »
Conservationists hope a new sanctuary will save Australia's declining Tasmanian Devil population.
more »
The tiny microbe could be the future of sustainable energy according to researchers in the uk. The scientists are developing autonomous robots that can generate their own power, and microbial fuel cells that can turn any organic material into electricity, could be the answer.
more »
The day's top showbiz news and headlines including Arnold Schwarzenegger lines up his next film, Justin Bieber's Japan concerts in jeopardy, and Cheryl Cole to be on U.S. "X Factor."
more »
The last combat veteran to serve in the First World War dies in Australia at 110.
more »