US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made special reference to the challenges posed by Russia to the Orthodox Church during joint statements with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Souda, while expressing his support for Greece and the Greek government.
During his speech, he stressed that “our cooperation in regards to security matters today is particularly important, as Russia continues its destabilizing role in the region and especially in Libya, while the US calls for the withdrawal of all military forces and reconciliation in the country. The PM and I agreed to explore closer cooperation to overcome challenges that Russia poses through malignant influence activities such as the spread of disinformation on the pandemic and trying to involve the Orthodox Church”.
A report by ANT1 also stressed that “the American side is making every possible effort to reduce Russian influence in the region, as Washington does not want to put pressure on the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in the struggle that Moscow is waging to take the primacy of the Orthodox Church.”
According to the same report, this issue was also discussed last Thursday between Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the meeting between the two men in America.