MINSK, 14 November (BelTA) - Minsk celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belarus and the Holy See on 11 November, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On the occasion of the anniversary, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei and Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, Archbishop Paul Gallagher exchanged messages of greetings. The letter from the Belarusian side stressed, in particular, that during the period the countries managed to build truly strong cooperation based on deep respect. The Belarusian minister of foreign affairs noted the significant joint efforts in strengthening regional stability, combating human trafficking, countering violence against children, protecting the natural family and traditional family values.
A reception was held at the Apostolic Nunciature on the occasion of the anniversary. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Sergei Aleinik and Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Ante Jozic welcomed the participants. The first deputy minister emphasized the open and trusting nature of Belarusian-Vatican relations, the closeness of the positions of the leadership on the most topical issues of the day, the success of many years of joint work on a wide range of issues both in the bilateral track and within international organizations.
“The Vatican has always been and remains a reliable partner of the Republic of Belarus,” stressed Sergei Aleinik.
The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the stamp, a joint project of the Vatican Post and Belpochta, took place as part of the celebrations.
The event was attended by Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs Aleksandr Rumak, Minsk Oblast Vice Governor Ivan Markevich, representatives of the diplomatic corps and clergy including Metropolitan of Minsk and Mogilev Archdiocese Archbishop Iosif Stanevsky and Chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus Oleg Butkevich, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the Belarusian Orthodox Church Archpriest Aleksandr Shimbalev, Director of the Religious Association of Progressive Judaism in Belarus Mikhail Kemerov.
A number of other events are planned before the end of the year to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the Holy See.
