Medvedev criticizes Yushchenko for interference in the Church Affairs
Moscow, August 11, Interfax – President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev pointed out to his Ukrainian peer Viktor Yushchenko “the evil practice of interference by the Ukrainian government into affairs of the Orthodox Church.”
“I would not call beneficial such environment that was deliberately created before and even during the recent pastoral visit of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Ukraine,” the message of President Medvedev to Ukrainian President reads, the Kremlin press service reports.
In this context, President Medvedev is delighted with “sincere and broad support shown by the Ukrainians who welcomed Patriarch.”
President Medvedev highlighted that “since the dawn of time, the Ukrainians have been not just neighbours to Russians, but our brotherly nation to which we feel affection, to which we a bonded by common history, culture and religion, and with which we are united by economic cooperation, strong kinship and human relations.”
“I am sure that the governments of Russia and Ukraine should value this good-neighbourliness, this treasure which at the same time is our common competitive advantage in the globalized world,” the message notes.
