Patriarch Alexy II call for negotiations on Kosovo

INTERFAX (RUSSIAN FEDERATION), 03 March 2006, 10:18

 

Moscow, March 3, Interfax - Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II backed a call by the Archbishops' Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church for settling the Kosovo problem through negotiations.

 

"We have repeatedly underlined what Kosovo means for Serbs and for the Serbian Orthodox Church. This is a sacred land for Serbs, a cradle of Serbian statehood and culture," Patriarch Alexy II told a delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Moscow.

 

The sides noted that negotiations were the only possible solution designed to ensure justice for all people inhabiting Kosovo, the Patriarch's press service said in a statement released after the meeting.

 

"We have repeatedly voiced our attitude to the Kosovo theme in various public statements and interviews We try not to miss the opportunity to remind the world abut the sufferings of Serbs," the patriarch said.

 

The sides also discussed the situation in Montenegro amid preparations for a referendum on its future status.

 

Patriarch Alexy II expressed hope that the Serbs and Montenegrins, whose historical destinies are closely intertwined, will stay together," the press service said.