The head of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy and delegation member Ana Ivanovic, took part in the activities of the International Secretariat of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy, 5 to 10 November in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Zagreb.
The MPs first participated in the autumn session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy, this year hosted by the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.
The meeting attended by representatives of the parliaments of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia, Albania and Romania, aimed to strengthen mutual cooperation between member countries and encourage dialogue in the field of European integration, peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Special attention was paid to the preservation of the cultural and spiritual heritage of Orthodoxy, as well as to the improvement of relations through joint projects.
IAO Secretary General Maximos Charakopoulos submitted a report on the organisation's activities since the last Annual Assembly, held in Palermo in June this year. The meeting was dedicated to the exchange of experiences and the planning of future activities, which include the presentation of the monograph "Hagia Sophia" in Belgrade in March next year, the spring meeting in April, to be held in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, and the IAO Annual Assembly in June in Bucharest.
Addressing the participants of the IAO session, MP Aleksandar Cotric pointed out that in Kosovo-Metohija, both the members of the Serbian people and their cultural and religious heritage are under threat, illustrating this with numerous examples of violence and discrimination by Albanian extremists against the Serbian Orthodox population.
During their stay in Sarajevo, the members of the IAO delegation were received on 7 November by the Metropolitan of Dabro-Bosna, Mr Hrizostom.
Monography “Hagia Sophia – The churches of the Holy Wisdom of God in history and in the world” was presented in the Cultural Centre in East Sarajevo. Aleksandar Cotric also spoke about the book, published by IAO, stressing that it "represents an important contribution to the preservation of Christian heritage".
The book was promoted on the same day in the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska in Banja Luka.
IAO representatives were received in Banja Luka on 8 November by the President of the Republic Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who informed them about the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska. President Dodik expressed his satisfaction that he had the opportunity to host the members of the organisation, which during its three decades of existence has successfully represented and preserved the Orthodox identity, promoted Christianity and fostered a culture of dialogue. The IAO delegation was received by the leadership of the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska and the Metropolitan of Banja Luka Mr. Jefrem.
On 9 November, the leadership of IAO spoke in Zagreb with Dr Milorad Pupovac, president of the Serbian National Council and member of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia. The conversation related to the position of the Serbian and Orthodox population in Croatia and the more active involvement of Orthodox MPs in the future activities of the IAO.
On 10 November, IAO representatives, including MPs Aleksandar Cotric and Ana Ivanovic, attended the liturgy in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Zagreb and a conversation with the priests of this church.