On March 5, 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR), met with the newly appointed ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Russian Federation, H. E. Alemayehu Tegenu Aargau, at the DECR.
Taking part in the talk were Mr. Kassa Gebreyohannes Ghebremichael, deputy head of the Mission, and Counsellor Aklilu Alemayehu Woldearagay, from the embassy’s side; and Hieromonk Stephan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, and Deacon Andrey Titushkin, office for the far abroad, from the DECR side.
Metropolitan Hilarion warmly welcomed the new head of the Ethiopian diplomatic mission in Moscow to the oldest synodal department, which is the church analogue of ministry of foreign affairs.
On his part, the ambassador thanked the metropolitan for the possibility to meet and discuss the cooperation.
As mospat.ru mentions, the head of the Ethiopian diplomatic mission pointed out to a considerable activation of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church that have taken place in recent times, which helps revive the historical closeness of the two nations. He also underscored the importance of the official visit made by Patriarch-Catholicos of Ethiopia Abuna Mathias to Moscow last May.
During the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion shared with the guests the impressions of his trip to Ethiopia in 2011 and his meeting with the previous Primate of the Ethiopian Church Abuna Paulos and his visit to old Christian holy places in Ethiopia.
