Meeting of N. Papandreou and S. Arnautoglou with the Egyptian ambassador for the Sinai Monasterytranslated

PASOK MEPs Nikos Papandreou and Sakis Arnaoutoglou had a meeting with the Egyptian ambassador to the EU earlier today, during which they discussed the issue of the Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai, which is important for Greece, but also more general problems concerning Christian communities and religious freedoms both in the Arab country and in the wider Middle East. Nikos Papandreou emphasized that beyond the burning issue of the Sinai Monastery, "There is a worsening of the situation of Christians in the area around Egypt. I hope the issue will be resolved and I think it is important to preserve their religious rights. As MEPs, they emphasized that they would contribute to finding a solution.

For his part, Sakis Arnautoglou noted that the PASOK MEPs submitted the relevant question about the Monastery in order to know the way the EU will act towards Egypt. "We have never been against Egyptian justice or Egypt," he emphasized.

In the spirit of religious freedoms, Mr. Papandreou highlighted the serious discrimination against the few Baha'is living in Egypt. The point is...