THE SERBIAN PATRIARCH RECEIVED BY THE PRESIDENT OF SERBIA

Belgrade, 28 October 2017 - The President of the Republic of Serbia Mr. Aleksandar Vucic met with His Holiness Irinej with whom he talked about accelerating the completion of works on the construction of the Saint Sava Cathedral in Belgrade.
                                                           Serbia Patriarchate

President Vucic and Patriarch Irinej agreed that the works on the construction should be completed until 2019, so that the marking of the 800^th anniversary of the establishment of the first Serbian Archbishopric would be held in the new Cathedral.

Two interlocutors also discussed the state of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija and expressed a need for further investments in order that our most important cultural and historical monuments might be better preserved.

President Vucic informed His Holiness Irinej about great pressures that Serbia had been facing in its efforts to preserve peace, stability and to guarantee a safer future for our descendants. They agreed that a vital goal of the Serbian state was preservation of its independence and freedom, as well as its right to make decisions about itself and its future without interference of other countries.

The two interlocutors expressed their concern about the extremely low birth rate in Serbia, and President Vucic informed the Patriarch about various incentive measures that the state would launch in order to correct such a difficult situation.