His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije, together with his host His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia kyr Kirill, had a conversation today at the Kremlin with Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation.
 
The conversation, which was also attended by His Eminence Archbishop of Novi Sad and Metropolitan of Bačka kyr Irinej, and His Eminence Metropolitan of Volokolamsk kyr Anthony, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, took place in a spirit of mutual understanding and a shared desire to further enhance the cooperation between the two fraternal peoples and sister Churches.
 
Expressing his gratitude to President Putin for the reception, the Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church emphasized the deep spiritual closeness that the Serbian people feel toward the Russian people. He underlined the immeasurable importance of the fact that President Putin represents, protects, and promotes Christian values.
 
Patriarch Porfirije's attitude toward the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian people, marked by love and a desire for the closest possible cooperation, is identical to that of his predecessors, the Patriarchs Pavle and Irinej of blessed memory. This attitude, he noted, is shared by the entirety of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
 
The President of the Russian Federation spoke about the mutual relations between the two nations and states in a spirit of understanding and with a deep knowledge of the situation in the Balkan Peninsula, emphasizing that Orthodox faith and the culture based upon it unite the Russian and Serbian peoples. He also noted that the recently held All-Serbian Assembly is a good means of preserving the unity and identity of Orthodox Serbs. The Russian president welcomed the announced participation of the President of Serbia in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism, to be held on May 9 in Moscow.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, speaking about the ties between the two peoples and their Churches, stated that these are the closest of fraternal nations and loyal allies, always faithful to one another under all circumstances
 
All participants unanimously expressed hope that Europe, as well as the entire Western world, will return to Christian values and a Christian way of life, citing the recently deceased Pope Francis as a worthy example of someone who advocated for this.