Sergei Gavrilov

Russia's presence in the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IOA), an international institution with an active role in promoting the values of the Orthodox Christian tradition in contemporary European and world affairs, came to an end on Saturday in Sithonia, Halkidiki northern Greece, with the election of a Polish MP, Yevgeny Chikvin, widening the chasm with the Russia

Sergei Gavrilov, an MP from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) urged Turkey to return the Hagia Sophia Cathedral to the Orthodox Christian Church. He said that in this way Ankara would demonstrate that good will is above politics. “We expect the Turkish side to show a goodwill gesture and return Hagia Sophia Cathedral to the Christian Church,” he said.