Editor’s Note: The following article, translated from the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, reports on the July 18 meeting between Archbishop Symeon of Sinai and Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump for Arab, Middle Eastern, and African Affairs. The meeting provides the clearest public indication to date of direct White House engagement in efforts to preserve the historic status quo of St. Catherine’s Monastery.
****
By Dóra Antoníou – Kathimerini.gr; –
The senior adviser to Donald Trump on Arab, Middle Eastern, and African affairs reaffirmed that he would remain a steadfast friend and supporter of the Monastery.
Recent weeks have seen growing diplomatic activity aimed at resolving the outstanding issues concerning both the operational status and the property rights of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai.
Particularly significant in this context was the meeting held on July 18 between Archbishop Symeon of Sinai, Pharan, and Raitho and Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump for Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs and Africa. The meeting took place at the Cairo dependency (metochion) of St. Catherine’s Monastery.
(Boulos was accompanied by a high-level delegation from the Embassy of the United States of America in Egypt, including Chargé d’Affaires Robert Silverman, Political Affairs Officer Judit Visontai, and Economic Counselor Kris Kvols.)
Mr. Boulos conveyed both President Trump’s personal interest and his own commitment to preserving the Monastery’s historic status quo. He also assured Archbishop Symeon that he would remain a steadfast friend and supporter of the Monastery, expressing his willingness to assist every effort aimed at safeguarding the unique character of this sacred site.
Archbishop Symeon extended a formal invitation to Mr. Boulos to visit St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai. President Trump’s adviser replied that such a visit was something he personally very much wished to undertake.
Close Monitoring of Developments
According to sources familiar with the developments surrounding the Monastery, the meeting is of enormous significance in itself because it confirms the strong interest of the U.S. leadership at the highest possible level and demonstrates that developments concerning the Monastery are being closely monitored.
The same sources added that negotiations aimed at finalizing an agreement are continuing and that the atmosphere has been improving steadily from day to day, giving rise to cautious optimism that the outstanding issues can be resolved.
___________________
https://www.kathimerini.gr/politics/foreign-policy/564353611/moni-sina-synantisi-toy-archiepiskopoy-symeon-me-ton-masant-mpoylos-gia-ti-diatirisi-toy-status-quo
