Diplomatic fever prevails between Athens and Cairo with the backdrop of the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai, after the disruption caused by the Egyptian Court Decision on its ownership status. The Greek Government, with a basic pursuit of Completely maintaining the Greek Orthodox and pilgrimage of the monastery, he is a road race for institutional resolution of the issue.
The next crucial step will be made to the Monday 2 Junewith a Greek delegation going to Egypt for direct contact with the Egyptian authorities, under the agreement confirmed during the recent telephone conversation By Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al -Sisi.
Mitsotaki – Sisi Communication: “Commitment to Institutional Solution”
According to Maximus, the Greek prime minister emphasized the Egyptian president “the importance of preserving the pilgrimage and Greek -Orthodox character of the monastery”, while there was an agreement to dedicate to “institutional resolution»And to common understanding that has been shaped for months between the two sides. For his part, Cairo repeated the ‘Egypt’s foolish commitment»To respect the existing religious regime of the monastery.
Conduct of the regime – reactions from Athens and Ecumenical Patriarchate
The court ruling, which the Egyptian Foreign Minister interpreted as a confirmation of the right of the monks “in the use” of the premises, raised strong concern. The Ecumenical Patriarchate He called in complete respect for the historical conditions that govern the Holy Monastery “from the depths of the centuries”.
The representative of the Greek Foreign Minister, Lana Zoi, made it clear that “There is no room for divergence From the agreed framework, “adding that the Greek side was in direct contact with the Egyptian as soon as the decision became known.
Government -opposition objections
On the internal political front, the issue is causing a confrontation. The government spokesman Paul Marinakis He stressed that the government has been working for 12 months to ensure the character of the monastery, accusing the opposition of “irresponsibility even on sacred issues”. He even described the criticism of a “sign of despair”, noting that the policy is not practiced “in terms of coach of the platform”.
On the other hand, PASOK President – KINAL Nikos Androulakis He charged the government “complete ignorance” of the judicial process and the absence of a diplomatic presence in Cairo. SYRIZA – MS spokesman George Caramer He talked about “slavery and deficit of credibility”, criticizing government manipulations.
The Monastery of St. Catherine – Global Symbol of Spirituality
The Holy Monastery of St. Catherine, built at the foot of Mount Sinai, is the earliest Christian monastery worldwide and is sacred for three great religions – Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
It was founded in the 6th century AD. At the behest of Emperor Justinian at the point of the “burning boat” where, according to the Old Testament, God appeared in Moses. The monastery is UNESCO World Heritage Site And it attracts thousands of visitors from around the world daily.
Athens seeks through its diplomatic campaign to ensure that the sacredness, autonomy and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery will remain untouched. The following days are considered critical to the outcome of consultations.