Ambassador of Belarus аwarded by the Serbian Church

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej presented the Ambassador of Belarus in Belgrade Vladimir Chushev Order of St. Sava second degree at a reception held at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade on 31 May 2017.

The ceremony was attended by members of the Holy Synod of Bishops: His Eminence Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana, and Their Graces Bishops: Justin of Zicha, Fotije of Dalmatia and Milutin of Valjevo as well as by the Bishop electus Nikodim of Dalmatia. The  decision of the Holy Synod of Bishops, which was read during the ceremony by the General Secretary of the Holy  Synod Archpriest-Stavrophor Dr. Savo Jovic, pointed put that the high award of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Order of St. Sava,was being handed in to His Excellency Vladimir Nikolayevich Chushev, Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus in Belgrade, for his active love towards the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people, demonstrated in particular in his wholehearted commitment to the strengthening of relations between Serbia and Belarus.

“It is a real honor to have this opportunity, - on the occasion of your departure from our old capital city, where you have spent successful years at the post of Ambassador of Belarus, our brotherly country and friendly people  - to  assign you the highest honor of our Holy Church, by which we do award friends of our people and the Church. You have left a wonderful impression as a man and as a diplomat. I'm sorry that you depart now. I do hope that you will have a worthy successor who will continue what we have here achieved here for the benefit of your and our peoples,” said the Patriarch.

Thanking for  the high award, Ambassador Vladimir Chushev said: “This is a very moving moment for me, because - prior to my departure from the ambassador’s assignment in Belgrade – I receive from the hands of the Serbian Patriarch a high decoration of the Serbian Orthodox Church. I am convinced that our peoples will foster cooperation in all areas, because we have a lot in common; the Orthodoxy and Slavonic origins unify our peoples.

Ambassador Chushev presented to the Patriarch an icon of one of the greatest Belarusian saints – St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk.

The ceremony was attended by the General Secretary of the Office of Serbian Patriarch Deacon Dr. Aleksandar Prascevic, honofrary consul of Republic of Belarus in Belgrade Dragomir Karic, representatives of the diplomatic corps, as well as by guests from Minsk, capital of Belarus.