Greek foreign minister visits patriarch in Istanbul

By Mehmet Kara

ISTANBUL (AA) – Visiting Istanbul’s Fener Greek patriarch in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, Greece's foreign minister on Wednesday spoke with the church leader about religious issues on Greek islands in the Southeastern Aegean Sea and the mainland.

Upon arriving in Istanbul, Nikos Dendias visited Greek Consul-General to Istanbul Georgia Soultanopoulu.

Later, Dendias and Patriarch Bartholomew had a closed-door meeting, also joined by officials from the consulate general and patriarchate.

Bartholomew said they discussed faith issues that concern some regions of Greece as well as Crete and the Dodecanese Islands.

Dendias said he was glad to meet with Bartholomew and also looked ahead to his talks with his Turkish counterpart on Thursday, when they are due to discuss maritime boundaries and other issues.

"I will meet my friend Mevlut Cavusoglu tomorrow. I believe we will have a pleasant meeting," he said.

*Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara